Daughter of Gawain
by Blackrazgriz
Summary: Her father and brother were strong. She relied on them to protect her, but they both lost their lives to an unknown assailant. Now, with nobody left to protect her, Mist must find the strength needed to protect those she has left. Inspired by 'Valkyrie of Blue Flames' by WindsAcrossThePlains.
1. Prologue

**WARNING: Graphic violent details are in this chapter. If you are uncomfortable with reading material, please turn away this instant.**

* * *

Mist hummed a serene tune as she stirred around the contents of the stew. She couldn't help but be happy; the perilous adventure that she and the Greil Mercenaries traveled was finally coming to a close. There were a lot of troubling skirmishes, but they managed to pull through somehow. She was eager to call it a miracle, but she knew her father, Greil, wouldn't consider that. He'd simply say it was the skill of his comrades that seized the day.

She learned a little after arriving at Gebal Castle that Ike, her brother, and the company had a run through with two of Daein's finest generals; the serpentine Petrine and a mysterious knight cloaked in jet-black armor. It almost seemed like they weren't going to make it, but Ranulf, a high-ranking officer from the kingdom of Gallia, arrived at the nick of time with a platoon of laguz soldiers to rescue the mercenaries from their impossible situation.

She was grateful to Ranulf's heroic rescue. If it wasn't for him, she would have lost her entire family. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

With the escort mission a success, Mist felt glee and excitement for the future. She was curious as to what the rest of Gallia was like. She remembered seeing Ranulf for the first time and feeling a bit perturbed at his appearance. She never seen the beast-like laguz before, living only in Crimea, a kingdom of beorc, for as long as she could remember. The only thing she knew of the laguz was of the infrequent stories Shinon would speak of during dinner. What he said about them was never any good, and that was her initial thoughts upon seeing them.

Ranulf was a lot nicer than what Shinon made the laguz out to be. She couldn't see him as the "uncivilized, disgusting, barbaric beastmen" that he described them as. Ranulf was a gentleman, especially as he conversed with Princess Elincia. He was pretty casual and down-to-earth, and he always had a joke or two to say during every conversation he was in. Mist found him comfortable to be around, and she felt like that was a good sign for the rest of Gallia.

Right now, the mercenaries were preparing lodgings for their stay at Gebal Castle. She was assigned to assist Oscar with the meal, which was meat stew, courtesy of rations donated by Ranulf. She was excited, to say the least. All they had during their adventure was hard, stale biscuits and smoked fish and meat. She felt like if she saw another biscuit again, she'd die were she stood.

Meat stew was a much needed departure from what they usually had. Oscar had already prepared the broth, and it was simmering over the fire. The aroma of beef, carrots and potatoes sifted through the air, enough to nearly make Mist salivate like a dog. Shaking her head to knock herself out of her hypnotic stupor, she focused at the task at hand.

Oscar had left briefly to see if there were any other ingredients that he could use to enhance the flavor of the stew. Although Mist knew how to cook herself, she was well aware of Oscar's superior skills as a chef, as well as the mercenaries…reluctance to eat what she made. It wasn't bad at all, but from what she was told, her food lack substance. Or, in Ike's words, "not enough meat."

Still, it was fun to help Oscar out in the kitchen. She always learned something new to better enhance her own repertoire, and Oscar always appreciated the help.

It was the least she could do, after all. She had no combat skills whatsoever, so she couldn't actually contribute to any of the fights. In fact, she hated fighting completely. Watching the fights that the mercenaries conduct always made her feel incredibly queasy and lightheaded. When she was kidnapped by bandits with Rolf, although she kept her calm and believed in her brother, she was having difficulty maintaining her sense of balance. The sounds of combat, from the clashing of blades to the gut-wrenching cries of death never leave her, even after the battles are over.

So she couldn't fight. Her father never blamed her, and Ike felt the need to work twice as hard in training, as if Mist was a liability. He would never say that to her, but that's what she often felt.

She dedicated herself entirely to performing tasks needed to maintain the headquarters. She cleaned the rooms, washed all the laundry, took care of the horses in the stable, and cooked for the mercenaries. Everyone was grateful for her domesticate contributions, and it helped alleviate some of the self-doubt she held in her heart.

But when the Daein army forced them to abandon their home, those feelings returned back to her. As a non-combatant, she couldn't help but feel completely useless. She was the one that needed protection again, and she couldn't do anything to help the men in the slightest. She kept her smile and her cheer, if only to hide her self-pity.

Now, with the mission completed, she could return to being the Mist that she was when they were back at the headquarters. She could cook and clean for the men, and feel like she really was helping again.

Her humming grew more upbeat as she thought of the bright future that awaited them. Her family was safe and sound in Gallia, and nobody suffered any severe injuries. It really was a beautiful miracle.

The sound of iron-tipped boots gradually made its way towards the kitchen. Mist knew who these boots belonged to immediately upon hearing them, and turned to talk with her brother.

"Hey Ike! What brings you here?" She asked, stopping her humming for just a moment.

"Oh, Mist. You're on cooking duty today?" Ike responded.

"Uh-huh. I'm with Oscar though, so you don't need to worry."

"What gives you any idea that I might need to worry?"

"Ike, I know how you feel about my cooking. You don't hide it very well."

"I have no idea what you're talking about…"

"Nevermind…" She pouted. Ike always dodged the subject, and Mist always gave up her line of questioning immediately. It was this type of banter that she enjoyed with her older brother. It gave her a sense of normalcy a midst the constant fighting. "Anyways, you haven't answered my previous question yet."

Ike didn't answer immediately. Instead, he frowned and stared at Mist.

"What's on your mind? You know I'm here to talk if anything's bothering you." Mist offered.

"...I'm just thinking…"

"'bout what?"

"Persistent aren't you?"

"That's what little sisters are supposed to do, silly!"

"I suppose you have a point…Alright I'll tell you. I was just looking for Father."

"Father…" Mist trailed off. She was actually afraid of bringing this topic up. In spite of the influx of fortunate news that graced the mercenaries, Greil seemed visibly distraught at something. Of course, he tried to hide his expression, but Mist is strangely attune to the feelings of others. She know something was bothering him, but she didn't want to bother him about it. Unlike Ike, Greil never opened up to anybody, not even his own children.

Greil was always stubborn. Granted, he had the skill to support his stubbornness, but there are times where he would not feel well and he never whispered a word to anybody until it was too late. Mist found it frustrating when he wouldn't trust people with his problems, but it seemed that he was hellbent on keeping his secrets with him until the day he died.

"So you noticed too, huh Ike."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm not trying to say that you could be as dense as a brick, but…"

"That's exactly what you're trying to say!"

Mist laughed. It was a little good to lighten up the mood. For whatever reason, she couldn't help but feel as if something ominous surrounded Ike's expression. Like a foreboding aura, draped with layer upon layer of malice.

"It's just…ever since we left that fort, Father hasn't smiled. He hasn't cracked a joke at anybody in the company, and he's stuck himself in the room. I don't know why. I tried asking him about it, but he wasn't in his room this time when I checked. So here I am." Ike explained.

Mist listened carefully to Ike's analysis of their father's bizarre behavior. "So you're trying to find the reason behind Father's behavior, huh?"

"Yeah. That's why I'm here. Do you know where Father is at?"

"No. I haven't seen him myself since we left that fort."

"Hmm…Why…I just don't get it."

"What're you talking 'bout, Ike."

"Oh, it's nothing. Nothing that concerns you, anyways."

"Are you trying to leave me out of the loop again? C'mon Ike, we're family!"

"I'm sorry Mist. I just don't want to get you involved in all this. I mean, you're already taking all the fighting a little too hard."

"T-that's not true! Besides, as long as I got Mother's medallion I'll be fine."

"Mist…I know you cry yourself to sleep."

"No I don't! I don't Ike! I'm strong!"

"Mist, I heard you sobbing to yourself one night when I went to go to the latrine."

"You…you heard that?"

"Yeah. Ever since then, I've been going by your tent every night before falling asleep. You've been crying yourself to sleep ever since we started this journey."

"But still! I want to help Ike, please!"

Ike just placed his hands on her shoulders. "It'll be fine Mist. Everything will be fine. I'm sure Father's just stressed now that the mission is over. I'll talk with him. So don't worry about it. Okay?"

"But-" Mist didn't get a chance to finish, as Ike subtly tightened his grip on her shoulders. She winced in pain for a second, before he let go of her shoulders.

"I'll keep looking for Father, okay?" Mist nodded nervously in response. "You keep working on the food. I'm sure it'll come out great. This time, at least. With Oscar around, there will probably be some meat this time around!"

Mist didn't laugh. She just stared at the floor, frown encroaching on her face. She continued to stare downwards as Ike left the kitchen, and she continued still, even as Oscar returned to the kitchen. Her conversation with Ike didn't sit well with her, so when Oscar came back to the kitchen she told him that she was not feeling well and she returned to her room. She hoped a small rest would take her mind out of the troubles she was thinking about.

As she laid on her makeshift bed, she felt the tears gradually welling up on her eyes.

"Stupid…stupid Ike." She whispered inaudibly, cursing herself for how right Ike had been.

* * *

"Mist…Mist…" Ike cried out in pain, clutching his own innards in vain as he struggled to stay alive from a fresh slash through his abdomen. "Why didn't you protect me…?"

"I-Ike…I'm…I'm sorry…" Mist replied with tears streaking through her cheeks. The grotesque scene in front of her forced her to collapse on her knees. She didn't know what to do at this point. She wanted to save Ike, but she knew that this kind of injury was something you couldn't survive from.

"Why didn't you protect me…" Ike repeated, beginning to crawl towards Mist. With his legs cut clean from his body, a massive trail of blood trailed Ike as he approached Mist. "Why didn't you protect me…WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT ME?!"

"IKE!" Mist screamed, rousing herself from the bed. She sat straight up, clutching the air with her right hand as if trying to grab something. The nightmare she just had felt so real to her, enough so to tempt her to crying.

She would never want her brother to die, much less in such a horrible fashion. Yet, she had that nightmare nonetheless. To her, the worst part was Ike's harsh accusations at her inaction. He blamed her for his death, even though she had nothing to do with it.

Mist checked out the window of her room. The sun was beginning to set to the west, blanketing the sky in the gentle cloak of twilight. As the hue of the horizon shifted colors from a dark blue to a night violet, Mist wondered how long she had been sleeping. It had not been too long, it seemed, since she started cooking with Oscar around mid-afternoon.

Mist sighed to herself. Why did she have that dream? Was it because of what Ike said to her earlier? She couldn't have harbored a grudge of sorts from just that, could she? They've had plenty of arguments in the past before; that's just the nature of sibling relationships. Yet she never once wished harm on her brother. The most negative thing she would ever do is call him stupid or stick her tongue out at him.

Sighing again, she turned to move from her bed. Just as she did, her eyes made contact with a pair of deep emerald eyes.

"WOAH!" She yelped, startled at the sudden appearance of this green-eyed person. Losing her balance, she fell right back onto her bed, landing on her back.

The green-eyed girl simply laughed at Mist's misfortune. "Hahaha! Ya gotta pay more attention to ya surroundings Mist!" She continued to laugh, to the dismay of her unfortunate victim.

"Mia…it's really creepy when you stare at a sleeping person like that…" Mist rebutted.

Mia was the newest recruit to the Greil Mercenaries. Ike found her wandering into the fortress when he left to find their father. Apparently, Greil had managed to save Mia after her mercenary company was ambushed by Daein soldiers. She was the only survivor.

Mia…was an odd girl, to say the least. Instead of taking the opportunity to run away from combat, as any normal person would after having their entire party slaughtered, she chose to follow Greil into the heat of combat.

Worst still, she didn't seem too depressed at the prospect of losing her comrades. She was unnaturally cheery and rambunctious, taking her time to talk with everybody in the party, learning their names and trying to get close to them…and asking for a spar. Everyone turned her down.

Mist found Mia's apathy towards her old comrade's plight unsettling. It was true that death was a constant companion for a mercenary, but Greil always made sure to remind his company that they were a family. They laughed together, ate together, slept together, bled together, and did everything they could to be as close to one another as possible.

Certainly some of the mercenaries might have their differences, like Shinon's apparent bigotry towards the laguz or Soren's anti-social attitude, but with Greil, they were family. That was all that mattered.

Still, no matter how Mist felt about Mia's opinions on her comrades, she wanted to get to know the girl. Mia was the only girl close to her age in the company now, and they were chosen to share a room with each other too. She was grateful for the opportunity to get to know Mia a little better.

Even if her first impressions of her was "downright creepy."

"Well, I tried calling out ya name a couple of times, but ya just wouldn't say anything."

"Maybe that's because I was sleeping?" Mist replied with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Details, details!" Mia responded with a wave of her hands. "Anyways, I figured, 'if she ain't responded, then I'll wait for her!' so here I am!"

"Mia…"

"Yes?"

"It's creepy to stare at a girl when she's sleeping, you know?"

"We're both girls, so its fine!"

"That's not the point!" Mist yelled, exacerbated by Mia's obliviousness to the atmosphere. Her density could give Ike's a run for its money.

Still, Mia's wonky personality was just the distraction Mist needed to get over her strange nightmare. She couldn't help but crack a smile at Mia, who responded with a toothy smile of her own.

"So then, now that you're awake…" Mia said bringing the conversation back on topic. "Let's spar!"

Mist stared at Mia with a deadpan on her face. 'Is…is she serious?' She thought to herself. 'She watched me sleep, waited for me to wake up…for a spar?'

"I'm sorry Mia." Mist answered apologetically. "I can't fight. Rather, I don't really like fighting."

"Huh? Why not? Fighting is really cool ya know. So exhilarating. It keeps the blood flowing!"

"That's easy for you to say. You like fighting Mia. All you've done here since you've came was ask for a spar! Not everyone shares the same thrill of fighting as you do."

"Guess I was caught red-handed." Mia scratched the back of her head and winked at Mist.

'She can't be serious…can she?' Mist thought. She never thought she'd see the day when someone could out-dense Ike.

"Mia, I can't fight!" She repeated. "Every time I see a fight, I get really queasy, anxious, and dizzy. I can't concentrate, and I become really scared." Mist was quite surprised at herself for revealing such personal information to Mia. It wasn't necessary to do such a thing to get the point across, but Mia seemed like a comfortable enough person to confide in. She didn't appear to harbor ill-intentions, and she looked like she could keep a secret if asked.

"Meh. Ya'll get over it. Let's go! I wanna fight someone!" Mia said.

"I'll get over it? What?" Mist asked, baffled at Mia's dismissal of Mist's reservations.

"Mist ya get too caught up on all the unnecessary stuff. It's not good for a swordswoman to worry about stuff like that. It could get ya killed one day! Don't think, just do."

'That was…surprisingly sound advice coming from Mia.' Mist thought. Still, her reservations kept her from accepting Mia's proposal.

"Why do you want to fight me so badly Mia?" Mist asked, genuine curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well isn't it obvious? Ya the daughter of the boss, right? So ya gotta be strong!"

"Mia, there are so many things wrong with that line of logic."

"I mean, the boss is super strong. He's incredible! With that massive axe of his, he took down several armed Daein soldiers at once! Even then, he's got such great form and such skill! His footwork is like a dancer in an opera! I can only imagine him with a sword! Just thinking about it gets me so excited!"

Listening to Mia gush over her father worried Mist greatly. Mia sounded like a girl in love, and that thought made Mist shudder. She loved her father greatly, but she couldn't imagine him with anyone but her mother. Besides, to her, it was weird thinking about Greil falling for a woman old enough to be his daughter.

"And your brother too! Ike's so strong! He looks like he's still learning from the boss, but I could tell from how he is now that he's gonna be a powerhouse when he's done training. He could make a good rival, ya know? We could get good together!"

"Well, if my brother could make a good rival, why not just spar with him? I'm sure he wouldn't turn you down like the others." 'Like me…' Mist thought, leaving that out of what she was saying.

"I tried! I couldn't find him anywhere in the castle. I couldn't find the boss neither. Really sucks, honestly. So lame…"

'Ike isn't at the castle?' Mist thought. 'What happened after our conversation? Did he find Father? I hope so…guess I'll wait until dinner to find out.'

"So, I'm here now. Let's-"

"No."

"Please?"

"Tell you what. Would it make you happy if I just…watched you practice?"

Mia took a moment to think. She seemed to be deep in contemplation in regards to Mist's proposal. While Mia was thinking, Mist took the opportunity to study Mia's appearance.

The most striking thing about Mia's face were her deep emerald eyes. They exuded an exotic impression, almost foreign. Mist couldn't help think they were pretty.

Her eyes were complimented by her shoulder length indigo hair. Her hair was far darker than her brother's, but both still had some shade of blue to it. A white hairband streaked over her bangs, presumably so that sweat didn't get into her eyes during combat. Mist doubted it was to make a fashion statement, even if the hairband actually complimented her hair well.

The similarities didn't stop there. Like Ike, she wore a shoulderguard over her left shoulder. Her's was far smaller than his, but that was because she had smaller shoulders than he did. It just demonstrated how seriously she took the path of the sword.

She wore an orange armless one-piece that reached all the way up until her upper thighs. She had oranger fingerless gloves that matched the orange theme of her outfit, but she didn't wear gauntlets like her brother did. Maybe it was because her arms were smaller? Nevertheless, it was probably the only major difference in attire to Ike. That, and the cape.

She wore black combat boots with long black thigh-high socks. Surprisingly, Mia didn't have too much to protect her legs. No shinguards, or kneeguards, or anything like that. Mist couldn't help but wonder why.

While Mist continued to stare at Mia, she failed to notice that Mia had finished thinking and was trying to get her attention. Mist was so engrossed in Mia's appearance, that when Mia's face was mere centimeters apart from Mist's own, it took several seconds for Mist to register that.

"WOAH!" Mist yelled, falling backwards onto her bed. She flailed her arms to attempt to regain her balance, but failed miserably and landed on her back.

"Ya really need to pay attention Mist. Can't be lost in thought like that, ya know. Could get ya killed!"

'Look who's talking…' Mist thought as she rubbed her back to ease her minor pain.

"Now c'mon, let's go! Sucks we aren't sparring, but I guess I'll take ya up on ya offer. No takebacks, ya know?"

'Mia certainly is a character.' Mist thought, bringing herself up to follow Mia into the courtyard of the castle.

* * *

The gentle cloak of twilight soon gave way to the serene shroud of the night sky. There were some gray cumulonimbus clouds gathering in the distance, but the Greil Mercenaries would be safe inside Gebal Castle, as opposed to their usual camping. It was a refreshing change of pace from the constant moving, and Mist took solace in knowing she'll be able to sleep in an actual bed (albeit makeshift) instead of the cold dirt ground like the last few weeks.

After returning from Mia's practice session (and declining every single sparring advance thrown at her), the two girls joined the rest of the mercenaries at the mess hall for dinner. Everybody was looking forward to finally having something that wasn't biscuits and stale meat, as could be hard from the simultaneous growling of everybody's stomachs. The fresh aroma of the beef stew broth was enough to make anybody in the company salivate, a testament to Oscar phenomenal cooking.

There was only one person missing from the mess hall for dinner, and his missing presence could be felt subtly by everybody. Their leader, Greil, did not join the company for the night's dinner, stating that he had something on his mind and that he couldn't be bothered at the moment.

No one took Greil's absence more seriously than Ike did. Throughout the entire dinner, Ike spoke not a single word, keeping to his own thoughts. The atmosphere was starting to worry Mist, but she couldn't do anything about it since her father and brother were not making any efforts to involve her in their lives. All she could do at the moment was curse her own uselessness and hope for the best.

Following dinner, the company all retired to their respective rooms. Almost immediately after arriving, Mia dropped to her bed and began sleeping. Mist was quite surprised at how easily sleep came to the cheery girl. The constant snoring from Mia was a decent distraction from her own thoughts.

Mist decided to just simply stare out into the wilderness from her window. The scent of rain was beginning to accumulate in the air, and Mist could tell that pretty soon there was going to be a downpour. Fortunately, there was no laundry hanging outside, not as if there could be anyways since they had just arrived at the castle. For the time being, Mist was content with staring at the tree branches rustling with the wind.

A series of knocks came from the door to their room. "Coming!" Mist replied quietly, wanting to avoid awaking Mia. As Mist opened the door, she came face to face with Soren, his dark red eyes downcast with concern and worry.

"Sorry to bother you this evening Mist." Soren said immediately.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I was just looking outside the window."

"Tell me," Soren decided to get straight to the point. "Have you seen Ike?"

"No. The last time I saw him was during dinner. I haven't seen him since."

"Did Ike appear off to you?"

"Truthfully…yeah. Ike hasn't been himself since we came here to the castle. I think he's worried about Father, but he won't tell me anything important."

"So Greil's condition is the reason for Ike's current unease, huh?" Soren said to himself. "I figured as much…"

"Did you know about Father?"

"It wasn't hard to deduce that Greil was concerned about something. He had been acting odd since we encountered that black armored knight in the fortress."

"Do you think that-"

Mist couldn't finish that statement as a massive roar echoed through the sky. It was jarring enough to force Mist to cover her ears. There was a loud ringing inside her ears, and it was beginning to hurt her.

"What was that?" Soren responded immediately. "An enemy attack? This roar…it sounds like one of the sub-humans. What's going on exactly?"

The ringing in her ears subsided shortly, easing her mind from the pain she was feeling. But an ominous feeling clutched her heart. She couldn't help but think tonight was going to be awful, with her worries given further strength as the rain began to fall in full force.

"...Mist, grab a torch. I'll awaken the rest of the mercenaries. We have to find Ike and Greil. Quickly!"

Mist did not need to be told twice. Her apprehension for Ike and her father was the only thing on her mind, and the longer she did nothing, the longer that feeling gripped her tightly. Grabbing her cloak from her belongings, Mist rushed out of the castle.

"FATHER! IKE! WHERE ARE YOU?" Mist screamed at the top of her lungs while running as fast as her short body could take her. She continued to call out the names of her father and brother while running the road out of Gebal Castle, but she couldn't hear any responses.

Just as she thought, the rain began to crash down on top of her. She was grateful to have brought her cloak, as it staved off the rain somewhat, but it was only a matter of time before her torch burns out due to the rain. She needed to hurry, otherwise it would get dangerous outside all alone.

Her cries continued to yield no responses, and eventually Mist came across an opening on the road. Immediately, she could tell that there was a battle in the area, as the nauseating iron scent of blood was dominate in the air. The smell of blood made her light-headed, but she persevered through her dizzy spell. She couldn't afford to fall ill or faint…not when her family was in potentially grave danger.

Although the rain was growing heavier, The scent of blood was far too thick in the opening. Someone must have taken a fatal wound, one that would cause massive bleeding. Her fears started to take hold of her, as her heart began to pound incredibly fast. She felt like her heart would just crash outside of her body at the pace it was going. She tried to calm her breathing, but her nervousness prevented her from having stable control over her own body.

Her hands shook uncontrollable, and she accidentally dropped the torch to the muddy ground. Scrambling to pick it up, she noticed an peculiar item sticking out of the ground in the middle of the clearing.

As if mesmerized, Mist forgot about picking up the torch and walked towards the item on the ground. Upon closer inspection, Mist found that the item in question was an ornate, golden sword. It was massive, almost as long as she was. The blade itself was simple, but its golden hue radiated an unnatural aura. Almost mystical. It did not seem to have been crafted by human hands.

In a trance, Mist quietly reached for the blade, when she heard the sounds of asymmetric breathing. Startled, she turned towards the direction of the sound, but no one was there. She remembered that she was there to find her father and brother, so she pulled herself together and decided to investigate the origin of the wail.

Walking slowly towards the increasingly loud breathing, Mist noticed that there was a small line of blood flow away from her, being carried by the rain. There…there was an insane amount of blood flowing outwards. Panicking, Mist ran faster and faster towards the source of the blood.

When she arrived, she covered her mouth as quickly as she could. The smell of blood was sickening, and there was nothing else she could smell. Not the scent of rain, or the aroma of wet grass. The fields were literally stained in blood.

And right in the middle of all the blood, Mist saw with tear-stained eyes, was what was left of Ike.

Ike…was cleaved in half. Just a few paces away, Mist could see his legs laying messily on the floor. Without the torso to support it, it fell in such an inhumane fashion, with the legs facing disturbing, unnatural directions. Suffice to say, his legs were completely covered in blood. It was probably sometime since this happened, but she could tell his legs were completely drained of blood.

Ike himself…

His skin was beginning to turn blue. Without his lower half, his innards began to slowly crawl out of his open wound. Yet…yet he was still alive. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, trying to breath as hard as he could to compensate for his missing legs. It was all for vain, however; he was losing blood much faster than his body could produce. He didn't have long to live.

"IKE! Mist chocked a sob. Ignoring Ike's appearance, she hugged her brother as tightly as she could. Her yellow blouse and brown cloak started to darken, taking on a good portion of her brother's blood.

"m…mist…" Ike whispered. He slowly lifted his hand skywards, as if trying to find his sister. "mist…where are you…I…I can't see you…"

"Ike…I'm right here…Everything is going to be okay…Please, just…just…please…don't leave me…" She grabbed a hold of Ike's weak hands. There was no longer any sign of warmth in his hands. She didn't want this to happen. It couldn't happen. Ike was so strong. He was powerful just like her father. He was supposed to protect her. He couldn't just die and leave her alone. Mist couldn't allow it.

Unfortunately, Ike's life just continued to leave him. Coughing out blood, Ike dropped his hands to the ground. Mist lifted Ike's torso and laid it on her, trying to give him her warmth in an attempt to prolong his life. She couldn't let him die. She had to save him…she just had to.

"mist…" Ike whispered, his eyes clouding up, no longer able to see anything.

"Yes…Ike…" She cried softly. She knew what was going to happen. She couldn't lie to herself anymore.

"I'm…I'm sorry…I…couldn't protect Father…" He coughed out yet another chunk of blood. "I…I…can't…protect…yo…u…" Ike's mouth simply hung open following these last words. Whatever faint grip he had on Mist's hands lost all of its energy. He stared upwards at the gray clouds, unable to see the relentless tears on his sister's face. Unable to hear the loud cries of anguish she yelled towards the apathetic heavens above. He couldn't feel the pressure of Mist's body, as she fell on top of him, succumbing to unconsciousness.

Ike had left this world.

Ike had left Mist alone.

* * *

 **Hey guys. I'm not planning on writing a bunch of Author's Notes, but I needed to explain a few things.**

 **Firstly, this is a rewrite of the prologue. I decided to rewrite the prologue because I felt I needed to expand a few things pertaining to the characters. Some changes include:**

 **-Ike and Mist have a conversation prior to the ending. In the original, they did not speak at all. Also, Ike survives for a few minutes before he dies at the end. In the original, Mist finds Ike dead.**

 **-There is more of an interaction between Mia and Mist. These two characters are going to be the most important characters in the story, so I wanted to start building their relationship at the beginning of the story. For those that are curious, no there are not going to be any romantic pairings. I'm bad at writing romantic scenarios, is all.**

 **-Word count has doubled. I decided to normalize the word count to 6000+ words on the Word Processor that I use (I use WPS Writer). The reason being when it converts to FFN, the word count gets bongled and I'd rather just keep things consistent.**

 **There will be a rewrite of Chapter 1 that sticks to the philosophies I have detailed in these notes. Thank you for taking time to read this fanfiction, and I hope you guys have a wonderful day.**

 **July 8th, 2018 4:16 PM**

 **PS: I was doing a bit of research on Mia's supports to see if my writing correlates with her canon character, and I found that my explanation for why she joins up with the Greil Mercenaries is off. She was actually captured by Daein soldiers and Greil came to the rescue. She follows Greil to repay her debt to him. I'm going to keep my version of Mia's meeting with Greil since I believe that she would actually do such a thing anyways, and this is actually relevant to her interactions with other characters later in the story.**

 **July 12th, 2018 8:02 AM**


	2. Chapter One

"Ike no…nononono…please…don't leave me." Mist wailed helplessly, despair tainting the tone of her voice. She had just found her brother, sliced in half by some unknown assailant. She couldn't believe her eyes, so she rushed forward to clutch Ike's body as closely as she could. "Ike…this can't be happening…"

It happened in an instant. The body she thought was dead lifted upwards and out of her grasp. Startled, Mist crawled backwards as quickly as she could, terrified that this reanimated body of her brother might have some malicious intent for her.

"Mist…" Ike moaned ominously. "Why…why didn't you protect me…"

"I'm sorry Ike! I couldn't protect you!" Mist cried. She stopped crawling through the thick mud and covered her eyes, trying in vain to wipe the tears that would not stop shedding.

Ike didn't care. He kept crawling across the floor, dragging his innards that hung from his lower torso with him, leaving a trail of decaying blood.

"Why…didn't you protect me…" He moaned again. "WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT ME?!" He screamed as he lunged at Mist's defenseless body.

"IKE!" Mist yelled at the top of her voice, scrambling upwards from her resting position. Her breathing was erratic, a side effect from just waking up from a nightmare. Taking a moment to calm her breathing allowed her to analyze exactly where she was and what she was up to.

She was back in her room. Her room was completely empty.'Again…I had this dream before…' Mist sighed to herself, deep in thought. 'Mia must be out training.' She thought after finally regaining her composure. That was just like that girl. She wouldn't miss practice for anything, not even for the…for the…

Everything came crashing back to her as she made her last thought. The thunderous roar the night before. The mad dash towards the clearing in the midst of a harsh downpour. The radiant golden blade too unearthly to be described. And…and…

The horrifying image of Ike's body, laying in half atop the mud, his blood soaking the ground beneath him, his breathing, desperate to hold on to what little life he had left.

"Ike…" A single tear rolled down her left eye. This was reality. Ike had indeed died. Her brother, the one who was supposed to protect her and make her feel safe, was dead.

As she quietly and sadly contemplated this incident, the door to her room creaked open. In walked a frail man wearing the pure white outfit of a devotee of Ashera. Rhys, the resident healer of the Greil Mercenaries, entered the room with a steaming bowl of what smelled like porridge.

"Mist…you're up earlier than I expected." He said, displaying mild surprise. Holding onto the sheets that covered her, Mist took a moment to take a look at herself.

Gone was the blood-covered yellow blouse that she was wearing. Instead, she was wearing a blue nightgown for rest and relaxation.

It took a moment, but she realized that someone had changed her clothing while she was asleep.

Normally she would feel embarrassed about the fact. But her depressing thoughts on her brother kept her from feeling anything other than intense sorrow.

"How are you feeling, Mist?" Rhys asked, grabbing a nearby chair and placing it next to her bed. Mist didn't reply, opting instead to just stare down at her sheets. "We…we found you at a clearing just outside the castle." Rhys decided to just get straight to the point and explain what happened to Mist. "You…you were holding onto your brother tightly. Almost as if you didn't want to let go."

Her grip on her sheets tightened as she remembered clutching onto his body, embracing him during his final moments and listening to his final words. Words that should have never been spoken in the first place. This should be some kind of twisted dream, and she should be waking up to the sounds of her brother wondering when the next meal was. She should be scolding him for his density and playing jokes on him.

Instead, she was here, in her room, listening to what occurred in that clearing from Rhys, who reminded her just how cruel life could truly be.

"Soren told us about the mysterious roar and readied us for battle. He mentioned that you had run off to find…Ike and Greil. So we decided to split off into smaller groups to aid in find you and your family. Titania was the one that found you. She said she heard a loud screech, sounding like a female, and immediately went off to investigate. You…I'm so sorry Mist."

She knew well what happened in that clearing. There was some sort of fight that happened. And it ended unfavorably for Ike.

This was the life of a mercenary. He had accepted it. Her father had accepted it. She knew it would have been foolish to never expect it to happen to her family. But what could she have done about it? Could she have changed anything? Or would she have ended up like her brother?

"When we finally wrested Ike out of your hold, we…we found him dead. He lost too much blood. There was nothing I could do."

"...And father?" Mist asked, causing Rhys to stare at her cerulean eyes. He turned his gaze downwards, away from Mist. From this gesture, she knew his fate. Sniffling, she too turned her gaze back towards her sheets, allowing the tears to flow freely from her eyes. She should have never asked.

"We found him laying on the base of a tree. There was a massive stab wound in his abdomen. He was…he was gone long before we even got there."

And there it was. How her beloved father died. Stabbed through his stomach. She couldn't believe that he, of all people, could actually have been defeated. Yet, she could not refute what she saw yesterday.

Rhys continued to speak, but Mist wasn't able to comprehend what he was saying. The only thing on her mind at this point was the vivid memories of her beloved father and brother, flashing before her mind's eye. She remembered their training bout, just a few months ago. She remembered Ike saving her from the bandits. She remembered riding on top of the rugged back of her strong father. She remembered going with Ike to spy on her father and mother, and she remembered feeling really embarrassed about being caught.

She remembered their laughs. She remembered their smiles. She remembered their grunts. She remembered their frowns. She remembered their looks of anguish. She remembered their eyes of fury. She remembered as much details about the two as she possibly could. It all came back to her, rushing at her like a wave crashing on a cliff side.

Her soft sobbing erupted into sorrowful cries as she broke down in front of Rhys. The tears fell from her face nonstop, and she did nothing to wipe them away. They dripped down her cheeks and her chin, and even her nose. Her arms were down at her sides, hands holding onto her sheets as tightly as she was with Ike. She felt someone giving her a hug, but she didn't respond back.

Everyone in her family had died. She was all alone now.

* * *

The funeral processions took place the dawn afterwards. The mercenaries didn't have enough time to arrange a proper funeral, so they chose a fitting burial ground, a cliff side overlooking the sea, and buried Ike and Greil with the weapons. Oscar and Boyd did most of the digging, which did not take too long given the softness of the earth they were going to be buried at.

Most of the mercenaries were present for the funeral. Due to her depression, however, Mist couldn't recognize any of them. She was lost in her own thoughts and memories, not giving anybody else in the company any sort of attention.

She didn't even notice the absence of both Shinon and Gatrie. So was too caught up in her own wallowing to concern herself with that peculiar absence.

All of the mercenaries held solemn expressions on their faces. Oscar stared down at the graves with a look of extreme sorrow. Boyd tried his hardest not to cry, a battle that he was losing desperately. On the other hand, Rolf was wailing wildly, holding tightly onto Oscar's leg as a pillar of support. The three boys reminisced on the kindness that Greil showed them. He accepted them into his home with open arms and treated them like family. To Oscar, it was such a relief that he no longer had to shoulder the burden of taking care of his entire family on his own, and the sudden death of Greil hit them all hard. It was like reliving the death of the parents, since Greil was so much like a father to them.

Rhys was reciting final rites, as was his duty as a clergyman of the Ashera faith. Deep down inside of himself, he never thought he would need to perform such an act to any of the friends he had made in his time with the mercenaries. They all seemed so very capable, even the younger recruits like Boyd and Ike. Yet the business they undertook was a dangerous one at that, and to assume that no one will die was foolhardy, even for a man of cloth such as he.

Titania may have appeared to take the deaths of Greil and Ike well, but she couldn't hide the trail marks of tears on her cheeks. She had grown very fond of the two men, and her relationship with Ike was almost akin to that of mother and son. She didn't regret leaving the Crimean Royal Knights for the path of a mercenary in the slightest, not with the ideals of Greil so closely in tune with her own morality. Her kinship with Greil shaped itself into great admiration, and eventually great adoration.

For him to be cut down so soon…she knew that somewhere deep inside, Greil was anticipating his own death. It made sense given that he began to give Ike more and more roles of leadership shortly after news of Crimea's fall reached the mercenaries. It was tragic that he had accepted his own death, but Titania had hoped that she would eventually have the time to express her feelings for the commander, even if she figured they wouldn't be reciprocated.

Which only made things harder when Ike, too, was killed with Greil. With both the commander and his successor killed in action, it fell onto Titania to lead the mercenaries, as well as take care of the newly orphaned Mist. The responsibilities suddenly thrust onto her was overwhelming, and she couldn't help but cry the night away.

The only person in the company that took the deaths of Greil and Ike as hard as Mist did was Soren. As soon as he had heard that Ike was killed, it was as if Soren had entered some sort of catatonic state. He did not respond to anybody or anything, and stared into nothingness with lifeless eyes. He did not even bothered coming to dinner the night before, seeing no point in even feeding himself anymore.

Mia was a small distance away from the mercenaries huddled around the graves. She was not smiling as she normally was, but she did seem to be in deep thought concerning the two men.

As for Mist, she looked at nothing but the graves of her father and brother. Greil's grave was marked by his beloved axe, Urvan. It's long, gold adorned handle was a perfect compliment to Greil's own yellow and brown themed outfit, and its double edge axehead was large and rugged, just like her father. Looking at Urvan was like staring onto her own father, alive and well, which only made it the more painful for Mist. Urvan had lost its partner, just as Mist had lost her father.

Ike's grave was marked with his Regal Blade…or what was left of it. The treasured sword, handed down by his father as a sign of respect and a symbol of growth for the boy, was also cleaved in half, just as Ike was. The Regal Blade was expertly crafted, and Greil had hired the best blacksmith in all of Crimea to create that gift to his son. The fact that it was broken in half proved how monstrous of a foe Greil and Ike faced in their final moments. It was terrifying to Mist, and the dreadful thought always lingered in the back of her mind.

Mist simply continued to stare at the graves with a deadpan expression, zoning out everything that everyone was saying. The only things she could hear was the crash of the waves on the base of the cliff, and the sound of the wind bellowing through the ocean sky. She could feel the rising sun's harsh light burning her skin, but she did nothing to seek the comfort of any nearby shade. The only thing that mattered to her was the graves in front of her, and the one lingering question in the back of her mind…

Why?

As she despaired to herself, Mia stepped forward, finally getting a chance to express her own thoughts on the death of her new commander and his son. "Geez, um…I'm not too good with these kinds of stuff, ya know? The boss saved my life, and I'm super grateful for that. I'm glad I followed him down to the fort, I got to meet ya guys and find a new home for myself. I'm really pumped for this stuff! The adventures we'd travel, the missions we'd complete, all those things were stuff I was looking forward to!"

For some reason, Mist had decided to pay particular attention to the words of her roommate. She didn't know why she was so curious to her what Mia had to say, as opposed to everybody else in the company, but she listened nonetheless. The next few words Mia would say, however, cut deep into her heart.

"To be honest, I'm kinda disappointed." Mia blurted out. Everyone grew silent, and stared at Mia. Even Rolf, who's insistent crying seemed to have no end, settled down at the shock of those words. The sole exception was Soren, who continued to look down onto Ike's grave, as if that were the only thing left in this world. "Man, I really wanted to fight ya! Boss, ya were crazy strong, I really admired that. Ya and Ike too. That, over everything else, excited me to no end! Dammit, I didn't get the chance to fight ya! What a bummer…This really sucks."

Mist was shocked at the words Mia were saying. They were kind at first, but now…they just felt wrong. Selfish. Inconsiderate. The worst part was that Mia wasn't even done speaking.

"To think that ya could be taken down…whoever defeated you must be super strong! Wow! I can't believe there are even stronger people like that in this world! I've gotta face him now! Test my mettle against the best of the best! Yeah, I'll do that! Don't ya worry Boss! Everything will be fine!"

"You…you can't be serious." Mist replied coldly. Suddenly, all the attention was on her. "You can't be serious!"

"Huh? Serious about what?"

"Is this what my father and brother was to you? A means to an end? Just some way to satisfy your thirst for battle? Is that how you really feel?!"

"Yeah, they were really strong and I was looking forward to fighting them."

"Are you serious?! Can't you stop thinking about yourself for once and start thinking about how other people feel? My brother and father just died…THEY JUST DIED! How could you say things like that?"

"Mist…why are ya so angry? Just because I wanted to fight them? I don't see what's the big issue is here."

"Don't you feel anything at all?! Something…like sorrow…or pain…" Mist just began to cry. The memories of her family were some of the most precious things to her, and hearing the words Mia was saying felt like a disrespect to everything that they lived for. "DON'T THEY MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU THAN JUST FIGHTING?!"

"Mist, please calm down." Titania pleaded, approaching Mist in an attempt to embrace her. Mist just shoved herself out of Titania's grasp and walked towards Mia. The sheer tension in the air paralyzed everyone into inaction, just observing the events that were unfolding.

"Well? Do they mean something to you?" Mist asked again. "Or were they as…as…" The word was stuck on her tongue as she couldn't possibly call her brother and father 'worthless.' They were far more than that to Mist. They were her everything. She would have done anything to protect them. But she couldn't and she hated herself for that. The only thing she could do now was protect their memories. She wouldn't let anybody defile the memories of her family. "Well?"

"I'm mean, I'm really grateful that the Boss saved me, ya know?" Mia tried to answer. "And, it sucks that their dead…I suppose…"

"You suppose?" Mist repeated, flabbergasted.

"Mist, I don't understand what your so angry about. Did I do something wrong?"

Mia didn't expect the stinging slap from such a passive girl like Mist. It came so quickly that she couldn't even anticipate it. Her right cheek flared red, and the stinging pain from the slap caused Mia to rub her cheek to comfort it.

"Mia…Mia you stupid jerk…I HATE YOU!" Mist screamed loudly, her voice cracking unevenly but overflowing with as much malice as she could muster. "I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!" With that, she bolted as fast as she could from the graves, unable to handle being there any longer than she could. She heard people calling out her name, but she didn't look back. She couldn't allow herself to look back. Even if she did, the tears in her eyes would blur everything, and she didn't want anyone to see how pitiful she looked.

Not especially Mia.

Back at the cliffside, everyone stared at Mia with scorn in their eyes. Titania approached the young girl, still bewildered at the slap, and began to scold her harshly. "Mia, I understand that you're new to the company, but you have to learn to take your comrades feelings into consideration. We…we are a family. That's what…that's what Greil always told us. Family cares for one another, protect one another. If someone in our family dies…like right now…we would be sad. We are sad."

Titania stood in front of Mia, her taller body casting a shadow over the young myrmidon, forcing her to look up to the red-head. "Take those feelings to heart. Stop thinking about yourself. Otherwise, you could be the next to die. And no one would miss you." After saying that Titania walked away, but not before saying one last thing. "Oh, and your meal rations will be decreased. Don't expect any dinner for the next couple of days. Think about what you said, and I expect a formal written apology to both Mist and the company within the next couple of days."

Soon afterwards, the rest of the company left the cliffside. No one else spoke a word to Mia. They all looked at her with different expressions; Boyd with rage in his eyes, Oscar and Rhys with sympathy, and Rolf with sorrow. The only people left on the cliffside were Soren and Mia, and Soren wouldn't give her any semblance of attention.

Mia stood there, watching the rising sun, wondering about what exactly went down just now. She couldn't understand any of it. She didn't know what went wrong, or how exactly it was her fault. Worst still, she felt like she burned a bridge between herself and Mist. She'd hoped that wasn't the case.

Mia took one final look at Greil and Ike's graves. She stared long and hard, contemplating what she would do next. The only idea that came into mind, however, was getting stronger.

* * *

Mist didn't know what she was doing. She knew she had to leave from there because she couldn't bear the presence of Mia and her apathy. She didn't want to accept the reality that her father and brother were dead and that she was the only person left in her family. She didn't want the pity of her comrades nor any reassurance that everything was going to be okay. So she just ran.

She continued to run, with no destination in mind. At some point, the tears dried and she focused entirely on running, as that was the only thing she could do right now. She didn't want to return to her room because it was possible that Mia would return and she would have another confrontation with her. In fact, that reason could be applied to anywhere else in Gebal Castle.

Being there was not good for Mist. She needed a place where she could go to relax and compose herself. She wasn't thinking straight. That's why she was so hostile to Mia, despite her typical kindness. Or at least that's what she was telling herself to justify her outburst.

Mia was rude, selfish, and inconsiderate. She probably didn't even care when her old comrades died. Probably was happy to run off to Greil. Maybe her old comrades didn't satisfy her itch for combat and she grew bored of them. She'd probably grow bored of the Greil Mercenaries too. Mist hated that about Mia. Just thinking about Mia made Mist's eyebrows furrow and her cheeks puff in anger.

After what seemed to be a half hour of running, Mist finally came to a halt. Finding a tree close by to rest and catch her breath, Mist buried her skirt underneath her legs and sat underneath the shade. The sun wasn't too intensive, but the forest of Gallia tended to collect heat and was naturally hot and humid. Mist learned this the hard way as the mercenaries travelled through the forests during their escape from the Daein army.

Mist shook the thought out of her mind. She didn't want to recollect the past; such a thing would drag out precious memories of her father and brother and cause her great sorrow.

Instead, she looked around her surroundings. The tree she was under held a broken branch that was limply hanging close to the ground. Even the gentle winds swayed it side to side, its yellow and orange leaves a stark contrast to the rest of them on the tree. Mist felt sorry for the tree, so she placed her palm on its trunk and began humming her mother's tune to revitalize it. The tree couldn't express emotions, but it felt like it was saying thanks to Mist, who gave a small smile in response.

Feeling a bit better, Mist decided to get up from her spot under the tree and explore the area some more. Walking a bit, she reached a clearing that looked rather familiar to her. She recognized the decaying tree trunk that laid on the ground almost immediately upon reaching it. Although it didn't look the same under the midday sun, this was indeed the clearing where Ike and Greil died.

Subconsciously, Mist's breathing hastened. She didn't know why her body had brought her here, but this was the last place she would rather be. She didn't want to revisit the tragic field where she lost her family.

Because of the rain that fell on that night, most of the blood had been washed away, so it no longer held the heavy scent of blood. However some blades of grass still contained specks of blood dried onto them, a permanent reminder of what transpired that evening.

Mist began to feel more conscious of the sun's rays. She felt like life itself was laughing at her misfortune and the rays felt like they were stinging her skin harshly. Yet here she was.

With a sigh, Mist walked around. To her, perhaps there was a clue left behind that could explain what happened here that night. That would keep her mind from reliving the nightmare. Preoccupying herself with searching around, she suddenly remembered one of the most important aspects of this field.

The golden sword was missing.

Nobody could have missed a sword that radiant. It exuded a divine aura, one that forced people to bathe in its excellence. It was so beautiful, even a girl like Mist who abhorred violence felt awe at its presence.

Certainly, when Mist first gazed upon the sword, she felt a sort of connection to it. For some reason, within her mind, she believed that there was a shared fate between her and the sword. It was almost enough to detract her from her search for her family.

Now, it was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps the murderer returned to the clearing to retrieve the sword? The possibility existed, but Mist felt like it was unlikely. If that sword was important to the man who killed her father, he would not have left it behind just as he did when Mist first arrived.

It seemed just more likely that someone else arrived at the scene after she did and took the sword. Maybe it was one of the mercenaries? Mia seemed like the most probable to steal a sword like that, what with her obsession of swordsmanship and sparring.

There was also the possibility of someone unrelated just plucked the sword out of there. The sword was indeed glorious and would net a good amount of money if sold.

Mist's thoughts on the sword quickly took hold of her. Her mind became wrapped around the fate of the sword, so much so that she almost didn't catch the faint sound of unnatural rustling of grass.

It was silent in the clearing. Completely silent. Even the wild life of the forest did not stir any noise. What should have been an inconsequential sound that most people would ignore or outright not hear alerted Mist quickly. She took a few steps back, legs braced for an immediate dash and called out to whoever entered the clearing.

"W-who goes there?" Mist shouted hesitantly. She felt like it was a bad idea to blurt out like that, given her situation. But she wanted acknowledgement that there was nothing to fear.

"Relax, kid. I'm not here to fight." A mature, gruff voice responded. The man didn't make himself known, but he was at a place that allowed him to echo his voice and mask his location. This caused Mist to tense up in caution, the opposite of the man's request. "Smart girl. Never trust the word of a stranger, especially from a guy like me." The man chuckled to himself, but Mist kept her guard up.

"Who are you?" Mist asked, trying to gain information from the situation.

"50 gold." the man replied in a monotone voice that nearly threw Mist off guard.

"50…what? You're asking me for 50 gold…just for your name?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah. So you gonna pay my fee or no."

The request was ridiculous, but Mist decided to humor the man. "If I were to give you the gold, how would I know you won't just stab me in the back?"

"I'll let you in on a little secret of mine. Free of charge, of course. If there is one thing in this world I value most, its money. Money doesn't cheat or lie, nor does it try to kill you in your sleep. Sure, money can make men do stupid things, but in the end its the men that's committing the action, not the money. Money can't speak, so it can't whisper sweet nothings in your ears."

The man was surprisingly vocal about his opinion on money. Mist was taken aback a little by how much he was saying, for a guy that's too cautious to keep his presence hidden. Mist decided to go through with whatever shenanigans the man was up to. She didn't particularly trust him, but if the man was as loyal to money as he said he was, then she shouldn't have to fear him.

"...Fine." She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a single Crimean bugle, which equated to 50 gold in Crimean currency. "I don't have Gallian money. I just came to the country, and I haven't had time to exchange my money. Is that okay with you?"

"A Crimean bugle, huh? Don't you know that Crimean currency is useless now that Daein's taken over?" The man replied. "Ah well. Money's money. Who knows, maybe you and your ilk will probably retake the kingdom. Put your princess back to her throne. Maybe then that coin will have value again."

"How did you know about the princess?" Mist asked shocked at the amount of information the man had on her and the Greil Mercenaries.

"That'll be 10000 gold." He replied.

"What?!" Mist shouted.

"Can't be revealing trade secrets, now can I? For a price, however, I might be willing unseal these lips of mine." The man walked into the clearing. He wore a dark brown, high collared jacket with its sleeves pulled back a bit to make room for the finger-less gauntlets on his hands. He wore unassuming beige pants, with light brown iron tipped boots. Surprisingly, even with the iron tipped boots, his walking was almost completely silent. Mist could still hear his walking, but the way that he spoke in echoes probably masked the sounds his walking made. This man was indeed a very careful person.

He took a puff of his pipe. After inhaling for an incredibly long time, he exhaled the smoke slowly, savoring the experience. He appeared to be middle aged, maybe around 35-40 years, Mist couldn't tell. He was probably as old as her own father. He had a brown sweatband over his forehead, and attached to his belt was a long brown sash. "If you're done observing me," the man said, "my name is Volke. I'm an information broker. I was hired by your father, Greil, to retrieve some crucial information. Is he around?"

Mist started to feel a bit anxious. He knew who she was. This entire time. How? What else did he know? How did her father make an acquaintance like him?

She unconsciously took several steps back to further the distance from him. She guessed it'll probably be useless, since this man seems to be some sort of expert and would close the gap immediately, but it gave her some peace of mind given the situation.

"My father…isn't here. Anymore." And she spoke those words sadly. The cold, harsh reality of what really happened. She couldn't deny it. She couldn't pretend that it didn't happen.

She stopped going backwards and stood straight, staring down at the grass below and clenching her fists tightly. Once again, she was trying to hold in the tears. She couldn't show weakness, especially not to a stranger as shady as this Volke person.

"Is that so?" Volke replied without emotion. "Hmm…this won't do…" He contemplated for a short moment before speaking again. "What about your brother, Ike? I assume he would take command of the Greil Mercenaries should his father die."

Mist winced at his words. She remained silent, unwilling to disclose her brother's fate in a vain attempt to delude herself of what transpired. But, knowing this man, he'd probably make the connection.

"I see." He responded to Mist's silence, as expected. "My condolences for your loss."

Mist's knees buckled, unable to hold her weight, and she fell to the ground. 'This is reality, huh?' She thought to herself. 'I'm…all alone now…'

The man did not seem interested in helping her up. He was still sympathetic enough to offer some words to her, unlike Mia. Even if it did seem like their fates didn't concern him too much.

"That's really unfortunate." Volke took another puff of his pipe. "I suppose I should just get rid of this intel. No use in hanging on to it."

Those words brought Mist back to the moment. 'That's right…this man has information for father. What could it possibly be?'

"Wait!" Mist screamed, stretching her arm out towards Volke as he walked away. "Please…please give me the information!"

"50000."

"Fifty…thousand…" Mist stuttered silently. That price was even more than him revealing his trade secrets. What in the world could her father need to know that would warrant that sort of price tag? "That's…so much money…"

"That's the cost for this information. Can you pay it?"

"I…I can't…"

"Then this deal is over." Volke said, walking away.

"I can get it for you!" Mist pleaded unrealistically. "Please, don't go! I need to know what my father wanted to know!"

"How?" Volke responded. "How would you get the money? Whore yourself out? I know a couple of sick people interested in girls your age and would pay top dollar for you, but in deference to the respect of your father, I would rather you not."

Mist cheeks blushed a deep red. She was not naive enough to not know what a whore was, but the idea of her being a prostitute embarrassed her greatly. She never even kissed a boy before!

"What's more," Volke continued. "I know you don't like fighting. You can't take over the Greil Mercenaries. You have no redeeming qualities outside of domestic chores. It would take you years of work to even come close to 10000 gold. An impossible task for you, girl."

Volke's words rung true. There was nothing she could do realistically to acquire that outrageous sum of money. She could try to take over the Greil Mercenaries, but she had no experience at all in the art of combat. She never fought another person before in her life. The mere sight of blood made her want to vomit everything in her stomach. She was not fit for a leadership role in the mercenaries. She was too young, so she wasn't sure her friends would even follow her in the first place. There was nothing she could do to get the money she needed for Volke.

Even still…she couldn't give up. She was her father's daughter, after all. Volke saw the expression of unbridled determination on Mist's brilliant blue eyes and smirked a little.

"This is my father's information…He died before he got a chance to get it. As his daughter, as his heiress…it's my duty to see his job finished! I may not have the money now, but I'll get it…somehow! So please…please don't get rid of the information! I'll buy it off of you, I promise!"

"Hmm…tempting…" He stated, rubbing his chin with his hands. "Alright girl, I'll take this 50 gold as a promise. But I can't trust you just yet."

"Huh? Why not?"

"That's the way the world works, girl. Grow up a little and you'll understand. Or don't you already know right now?"

The glint of determination in Mist's eyes flickered quickly as Volke's example kicked in.

"Here's what I suggest you do. I'll accept a down payment of 5000 gold. Gather it however you can, I don't really care."

"But how would I know where to find you if I get the money?" Mist asked.

"I was getting there, girl. Once you get the 5000 gold, go to a tavern, any tavern, really. You might get kicked out a couple of times because of your age, or you might be approached by some very dangerous men. That's up to you. When you get into a tavern, go to the barkeeper, and tell him that you have a need for a fireman."

* * *

 **Holy Pie I cannot believe I did not update Chapter One. That was some serious oversight right there... Updated 3:03 AM at 9/30/2018**


	3. Chapter Two

When Volke left the clearing, Mist chose to stay around for a little while longer. She was still somewhat troubled at being at the very place where her family met its end, but she had a feeling she would not be able to return to this place for an incredibly long time, so she decided to spend the rest of the afternoon simply lounging about and thinking.

In her calmer state of mind, she reevaluated her argument with Mia. She uncharacteristically lashed out against her, frustrated at Mia's seeming inability to put others before herself. But perhaps it was too harsh of her to take her anger out solely on Mia. It wasn't her fault that her family had died. What she did was insufferable, but Mist couldn't truly hate Mia for so petty a reason. It wasn't like her.

Nodding her head, Mist resolved to just discuss things with Mia. She wouldn't apologize because she did not think she was in the wrong, but she will attempt to downplay her actions and try to understand Mia a little bit more. She didn't want to risk the chance of losing a friend, especially one who is both her gender and so close to her age, so she'll try to reconcile with Mia.

There was also the question of the whereabouts of the golden blade. It's existence couldn't leave Mist's mind, and whenever a train of thought ended she always found herself thinking back to the glorious blade. She knew whoever killed Ike and Greil could not have returned to retrieve it, so the only other logically choice was that one of the mercenaries grabbed the sword as they went to search for Mist and her family.

The only person with a keen interest in swords was Mia, so it made a lot of sense to Mist that it was Mia who took the sword. But Mist couldn't really accuse Mia of anything, not without proper evidence. She wouldn't even know how to start a conversation with that topic in mind. 'Hey Mia, do you happen to have a large golden sword with you? I kinda want to see it.' Mist imagined in her mind, immediately shaking her head furiously. There were many, many things wrong with the line of thought.

Like, why did she even want to see it in the first place? She felt an attachment of sorts when she first gazed upon the sword. Maybe she wanted to know why that sword gripped her heart in the way that it did? Or perhaps she hoped it would have some clues as to the identity of the killer? Mist did not understand for certain. What she did know was that it felt like fate had a role in revealing the sword to her.

She did a bit more searching, but came up short in terms of clues and evidence behind the murder. Outside of footprints detailing what could have happened (Mist, unfortunately, couldn't truly piece together an image of what transpired that night. She wasn't very good at tracking, and was definitely bad at inferring based off circumstantial evidence), Mist couldn't find anything notable in the clearing. Anything that could have been an indication of the man's identity could not be found here. So the only thing Mist had going for her was the mysterious disappearance of the golden blade, what would have been her biggest lead, and footprints that she was unable to paint a picture of.

As the afternoon sun began to sink under the horizon, Mist bid a farewell to the clearing and made her way back to Gebal Castle. Quite a few things happened today, particularly the funeral of Greil and Ike, her argument with Mia, and her chance meeting with Volke. She was unsure of what the future held for her, but she knew what she had to do. Her immediate goal now was to find out what it was that her father so desperately wanted to know before he died. She wanted to continue the work that her father and brother left behind. She did not want their legacy to be in vain. She couldn't stand the thought of that happening.

When she arrived at the castle, she was met with by Oscar, who was just returning tending to the horses.

"Ah, Mist." He greeted. "You're back."

"I'm home," Mist replied. "Sorry about earlier. I just…it's tough, you know."

"I understand where you are coming from." Oscar answered. "My own father had passed away as well, when Rolf was just a toddler."

"That's right…" Mist remembered. Greil had found Oscar and their siblings at a town during one of his missions. Oscar had been relegated to performing odd jobs, since he could not afford to be a part of the Royal Crimean Knights and be away from his brothers, who needed him the most. Unfortunately, Oscar could not do much by himself, so their family was only able to scrap by with the most meager of possessions.

Greil had encountered a young Boyd and Rolf begging on the streets to try and ease some of the burden that Oscar had. Boyd, in particular, was doing a terrible job at begging. His pride would always interfere with his begging, and so he always came across as a thug trying to coerce people out of their money.

Rolf had a slightly easier time. His frail disposition and his timid yet polite personality earned him the sympathy of some of the townsfolk, allowing him to gain some donations. But the vast majority of the people passing by either completely ignored them or stared at them with scorn and distaste in their eyes.

Sometimes some neighborhood kids would rally together and pick on the boys. Mist heard stories of how Boyd would occasionally come home with a broken nose or dislocated joint. Oscar always had to fix him up in some crude sort of way. Maybe that's what made Boyd so tough. He had to see to the safety of his family, even if it meant getting hurt.

Fortunately their troubles would be alleviated somewhat when Greil decided to take them in to his mercenary company. Oscar, due in part to his prior military background, immediately gained a position as a mercenary, and Boyd, who was older than Ike by a year, was trained personally by Greil alongside his own son. There were some ups and downs, but eventually Boyd, too, became a mercenary.

"Sir Greil was so kind to us." Oscar continued. "He took us in when nobody else would give us second thought. I just knew I had to work hard to pay off the debt I owed him."

"It's not a debt, Oscar." Mist reassured. "My father took you in and treated you like family. He doesn't believe that family should owe family anything. After all, we should have each other's back, right?"

"Even still, I'm eternally grateful for what he has done. He was like a father to me, just as you are like a sister to me." Oscar looked into Mist's eyes. "I know I cannot be Greil, nor could I be Ike, but if you have any doubts or find yourself feeling lost, come to me. I will be a brother to you. Please, rely on me."

Mist looked silently at Oscar. He was right; he could never be Ike. But his request was genuine and sincere, so Mist couldn't possibly deny him.

"A…alright. I trust you, Oscar. I…I'm in your care…" Mist's cheeks flared slightly at what she had just said. It was almost as if she was…she was… "B-b-b-b-b-but don't get the wrong idea!" She stuttered. Oscar laughed at her embarrassment, and Mist couldn't help but join him in his laughter. She was sure he didn't see it as a confession of love, and she felt a little bit comfortable at that. "I'll try my best to see you as an older brother."

Oscar nodded. "By the way, the Commander was looking for you."

"T…the Commander…" Mist repeated quietly. 'It couldn't be…could it? Maybe I was wrong after all? Please…let this be true.'

"Oh, I'm sorry." Oscar apologized after noticing Mist's downcast expression. "I was referring to Titania…not…you know."

"Ah…" Mist simply replied. 'Of course. Titania was the sub-commander for Father. And with both him and Ike dead…it'd only make sense if she was in charge after all.' Mist had nothing more to say to Oscar, and lifelessly headed over to Titania's room. It was a mistake to hope for the best. Didn't she just realized earlier in the clearing that the death of her father and brother was reality? Why did she allowed herself to once again be swayed by delusions and fantasies? It only served to make her feel worse.

She approached Titania's room with a feeling as to why she was called. Greil and Titania, because of the positions in the company, were given their own rooms. Unfortunately, Greil's room now lacked an occupant. Ike and Soren shared a room, although Soren was now alone.

Mist figured that Soren had taken Ike's death poorly. Despite appearances, the moody boy idolized Ike. Ike was his closest friend, the only person in the world that Soren opened up to. Even Mist, who was friendly to everyone and sought to try to understand everyone, couldn't open a crack into Soren's armor.

Whispering a silent prayer for Soren's well-being, Mist entered Titania's room.

"You called for me, Titania?" Mist asked after being granted entrance to the room.

"Mist, are you okay?" Titania asked immediately, worried over how Mist was processing everything.

"I…I could be better, honestly." Mist answered truthfully. She and Titania both knew full and well that Mist couldn't be "fine" after what had just happened, so answering as such was only a waste of time. "What about you, Titania? You were always so very close to Father."

"So you noticed that, huh?" Titania said, blushing slightly. "I suppose I shouldn't wear my feelings on my sleeves, shouldn't I?"

"I mean, it was pretty obvious if you thought about it. Only a big lead head would miss all the signs. Someone like Boyd, or…Ike…"

"Heh…" Titania smirked softly. "Ike always was pretty dense, wasn't he? The only things on his mind was eating food and getting better. Anything else couldn't process properly."

"That was my brother." Mist smiled sorrowfully. "He did care for us, in his own special way."

"That he did…"

There was a short moment of silence as the two briefly remembered Greil and Ike. Mist had always known that Titania was in love with Greil. She didn't understand why, but something about her father had greatly resonated with the mature redhead. Mist always noticed Titania sneaking peeks at Greil during dinner, and whenever she spoke with her father, Titania's cheeks always blushed a light pink. Subtly, she also stuttered Greil's name sometimes when she was referring to him during conversations outside of missions.

Mist thought that explained her motherly nature to her and Ike. Perhaps that wasn't actually the case and it was always within her nature to be kind like a mother. But she was extremely hesitant to initiate Ike to the Greil Mercenaries. It was only through Greil's only sheer instance that she finally relented.

Titania tried to hide her sorrow, and to most of the boys (and probably Mia too) she was successful. But Mist knew that Titania suffered just as hard as she did. Titania, for one, had recently done her make-up. It was incredibly subtle, but she probably did it to hide the tear marks that lined her face. Mist knew for sure she was crying; before going to bed last night, she could hear Titania's sobbing from somewhere outside the castle. Mist had wanted to comfort her, but she was going through her own mourning, and it was taking much of her energy.

The best she could do was say nothing to anybody. Perhaps Titania would come to her or Rhys for some sort of consultation, but to the rest of the mercenaries, she must remain powerful and vigilant. She needed to maintain the persona of a hardened veteran, one that could not allow death and other misfortunes to divert her attention. That was the only way to maintain morale among the company.

"So…I heard you go by commander now…" Mist finally spoke after a moment of silence, going into the topic she assumed she was called for. It was a conversation she could not avoid, given that she was the only living daughter of Greil.

"I presume Oscar told you that?" Titania asked, to which Mist responded with a nod. "I was hoping I'd break the news to you myself. Well, you were bound to figure out sooner or later."

"I mean, it makes sense, right? You were my Father's second-in-command. I know Father was grooming Ike to be the proper successor to the company, but…well…I guess life had other plans…"

"Mist, I know its hard talking about your family but-"

"I get it!" Mist shouted. "I know…they're dead. I know…I know, okay? Please, just give me some more time, alright? I still need to come to terms with it. When Oscar called you 'Commander,' my heart skipped a beat. I thought to myself 'Father's still alive right? This was all just a big, stupid prank!' Father was the only person that Oscar called 'Commander,' and I just made one giant misunderstanding because of that. I'm still feeling a bit off after my dumb conclusion. It still hurts, no matter what I might think of it."

"I understand." Titania said with the patience of a sage. "Just know that we don't actually have a lot of time left to mourn. Daein is still after us, even if we did successfully escorted the princess to Gallia. Once we arrive at the capital to collect our reward, we need to think about what to do next."

What next…to think that only a few days ago Mist got jitters thinking about that subject. Now, she couldn't muster the energy to think about what to eat for dinner. There was only one thing that truly motivated her now, and that was to gather the information Volke had about her father. She didn't know how to acquire the 5000 gold down payment, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

"Please keep this in mind. I have high hopes for you Mist."

"Thank you, Titania."

"I'm sorry Mist, but you're going to have to address me in the same way as everybody else now. I am the Commander, after all."

Mist did not respond to Titania. She knew that she would have to eventually, but the term 'Commander' had an endearing tone to it, one she associated with her own Father. It was probably the last vestment of disbelief that clung on to her, and although it was healthier to just try to move on, her subconscious mind wouldn't allow her to do that.

Without turning around to respond to Titania, Mist left the room.

Mist opted to skip dinner. She wasn't feeling alright, and the last thing she wanted was any sympathy from her friends. Things were just happening too fast for her to process properly, but Mist couldn't do anything about it. She felt like if she didn't change soon enough, the world would just sweep all over her, leaving her to wallow in despair.

But the change she needed to undergo was scary to her. She recognized its importance, but she still feared it.

She knew she was just isolating herself by avoiding interactions with her comrades. She knew there were people she could confide in, like Oscar or his brothers. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She just wanted to be alone.

She returned to her room and immediately fell onto her bed. Burying her face on her pillow, she tried to will herself to sleep, but was ineffective. Sighing, she turned around and got up, looking around the room for any sign of Mia.

Fortunately for Mist, Mia wasn't there. To Mist, Mia was an enigma. How could she be so callous and unconcerned, yet so genuine and chipper and the same time?

Even though Mia wasn't in the room, Mist knew exactly where she was. She could her the sound of Mia's blade slicing through the air, her anguished grunts as she continued to push her body forward, all in an attempt to become stronger. For the two days that Mist knew Mia, the one absolute certainty she could gain from Mia was that she had an unquenchable desire to improve.

She didn't understand where that determination came from. Yet, Mist could feel nothing but awe at it. It was certainly inspiring to see Mia continue her relentless training day in and day out, even when she was constantly rejected by everybody during her sparring advances. She didn't let anything keep her down, and she always had a smile on her face.

Mist sank her head on her pillow again and screamed in frustration. Why? Why was it that Mia could overcome while she could not. How could Mia smile when things fall apart, but Mist felt nothing but hardship and sorrow?

A cacophony of emotions surrounded Mist's heart as she continued to think of the young myrmidon. Frustration and hatred for Mia's apparent apathy. Awe at her drive and determination. And most importantly of all, an emotion that Mist didn't think she could have possessed until now, envy. Envy at Mia's skill. Envy at Mia's cheerful personality. Envy at Mia's ability to bounce right back from turmoil.

Mist hated the indigo-haired swordswoman. But all the same, she found herself wanting to be just like her.

* * *

"WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT ME?!"

"IKE!" Mist bellowed as she scrambled from her bed. Her face, drenched in sweat, was gasping loudly and quickly, trying to regain its composure from the nightmare she awoke from.

'Again…I keep having the same dream…' Mist thought to herself. For the last couple of nights, images of Ike's cleanly cut body crawling towards her was her only companion in her journey through dreams. It fed deeply into her guilt, her regrets at her inability to do anything for her comrades. She didn't need her dreams to tell her what she already hates herself for.

She looked out the window of her room. The sky was a dark blue curtain, slowly giving way towards the light of dawn. It was early morning, which ended up disappointing Mist. She wished she didn't have to wake up so early, but her nightmare had other plans.

She contemplated on whether or not she should return back to sleep. She took a peek at Mia's bed. 'Empty, like I thought.' Mia was undoubtedly outside exercising, perhaps running laps around the castle. The only thing Mia really took seriously was her own training. 'Good for her, I suppose.'

Mist closed her eyes and concentrated. She's recently found herself able to just hear things. She could hear the calm running waters of the creek several hundred yards from the castle. She could hear the struggle of an ant as it tried to lift a piece of a leaf that's fallen to the ground. She could hear the even breathing of Mia as she continued to run steadily and smoothly.

And…she could hear something else. Something completely unnatural. It normally wouldn't have bothered her, but this unnatural sound was coming from all directions. She could hear birds flying away from the approaching sound.

As it grew closer, the sounds grew more distinct. The sound of grass giving way to the pressure of boots, and the clanking of iron.

This particular noise was worrying Mist, so she quickly put on her usual yellow blouse and skirt and hurried of to see somebody.

Not long after she ran out of her room, she bumped into Rhys.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She apologized with a bow.

"Think nothing of it," Rhys said with a sincere smile. "Though, what's gotten you in such a rush this morning."

"It's just…there's something bothering me right now. I'm a little scared about it."

"Mist, you can speak to me, you know." Rhys replied calmly. "I may be a part of the Greil Mercenaries, but I am still a priest by trade. You can confide in me safely, and rest assured that Ashera will hear your plight."

"Right, I know…thanks Rhys."

"Please…now what is it that's bothering you, Mist?"

"Well, its just…I've been hearing things lately." Mist didn't thing much of what she said, but when she looked at Rhys' face, she noticed his expression paled deeply into a worrying look.

"Oh no…I didn't think it'd happen so quickly. Dear Ashera, have mercy on the girl's poor soul. She's naught but a child who's lost her family, please do not let her lose herself as well…"

"Uh…Rhys?" Mist asked, confused. "I'm…uh…I'm fine, I think…" Mist scratched the back of her head, unsure of how to settle his nerves. "I don't think its as bad as you think."

"Mist, whatever you do, please, do not give into the temptation. You are but a young child, ripe with potential. Do not allow your sorrow to drive you further into the darkness."

"I…I won't…I suppose." Mist shook her head softly, and then a bit more aggressively. "Wait, what am I saying!" As this little exchange went on, the unnatural noise continued to creep its way close to the castle. "Rhys, I think something bad is coming our way!"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what it is, but it's everywhere. I can hear iron all around us. I think…I think we might be under attack."

Rhys looked stunned to hear what Mist had to say. He couldn't downright refute it, however, if it turned out to be true. "I'll go and talk with the Commander. If what you say is true, then we've not a moment to spare. You should go and find Oscar."

"Right!" The two parted ways in a rush. Mist wanted her fears to be unfounded. It was tragic enough that she had to deal with her family's death, but to be under attack by Daein soldiers just shortly afterwards…

'Daein soldiers…Daein soldiers…' Mist thought to herself. 'It couldn't have been a coincidence that Daein is attacking shortly after Father died…could it?' It may seem like a stretch, but it seemed like a logical conclusion. Daein could have been directly involved with the murder of Greil and Ike.

Daein had slaughtered Elincia's parents right before her eyes…and they killed her father and brother as well…

The ire building within Mist was uncontrollable. Her face was a deep red in anger as she continued to think of the possibility, and she willed herself to move faster towards Oscar.

If it was Daein who killed her family, then she could not forgive them. Every one of them who were foolish enough to approach this castle…every one of them will die today. 'Wait…what am I thinking? That's…that's not right! Why would I think such harsh things?' Mist found herself with such conflicting thoughts. She tried to ignore it and focus on the task at hand.

Unbeknownst to her, the medallion that was her mother's keepsake flared in response to Mist's darker thoughts. A brief spark of brilliant blue fire radiated from the medallion, before sizzling out and returning to its normal cooper color.

Mist found Oscar at the mess hall, preparing the area for breakfast.

"Oscar!" Mist shouted loudly.

"Oh, Mist, be careful!" He replied.

"Oscar! Oscar! Please, we need your help!"

"Calm down Mist. Take a breather." Mist nodded and slowly inhaled deeply. "Good. Now what is it that you need of me?"

"Oscar…I think we're surrounded."

A grave look of worry took hold of Oscar's face. "Are you sure? What do you have to explain this with?"

"No time to explain it, but I've been hearing the sound of clanking iron since earlier. I've also heard birds and other animals moving away from this noise."

Mist could tell that Oscar was a bit skeptical of her claim, but she knew he couldn't outright ignore it.

"Rhys has gone to Titania to explain things." She continued. "Please, is there anything you could do?"

"Hmm…" Oscar thought quietly. "I'll go and do a quick sweep of the area on my horse. Hopefully that will alleviate you of some of your fears."

"Just…be careful out there, okay Oscar? I don't want to lose another person close to me, okay?"

Oscar merely patted Mist's head. "You don't need to worry. You can rely on me, Mist." With that, he rushed out of the mess hall, leaving Mist alone to think about what to do next.

She thought about informing Mia of her fears, but she didn't think she was ready to approach the young myrmidon, let alone converse with her. She knew she was just trying to run away, even though she had already resolved to talk with Mia, but it was easier to say someone was going to do something then actually do it.

Instead, she chose to consult the tactician of the company. If the Daein Army was indeed coming for them, which from the sound of things was an inevitability, then having Soren's expert mind would help them greatly.

She knew that the raven-haired mage had locked himself away in his room, refusing contact with anybody and everybody, but it was now more than ever that the mercenaries needed his help. Soren's strategies have managed to get them through some incredible situations, and this upcoming battle was no exception.

She arrived in front of the door. Immediately, she could tell something was wrong. There was a foul odor coming out of his room, a scent that strongly resembled iron. It was a smell that Mist knew all too well, as she was surrounded by it just mere days ago.

"Soren? Soren, please tell me you are okay…" Mist asked, worried that something dark happened to Soren. When he didn't reply, she frantically began to knock on his door. "Soren, please…open the door! Soren!"

"Hey what's with the-holy hell what the crap is that smell!" Boyd waltzed in, only to cover his nose.

"Boyd!" Mist cried in a panic. "Please, you gotta open this door! I think something's wrong with Soren…"

"You gotta be shittin' me…" Boyd muttered in a low voice. His immediate conclusion was just as grim as Mist. He banged on the door as hard as he could, trying to rile Soren into anger, but when that proved to be ineffective, Boyd decided to just tackle the door down. "Mist, move away for a second."

Mist nodded and walked backwards from Boyd. Boyd took several steps back and prepared his shoulder. With a yell, Boyd smashed his upper body onto the door. Mist could hear the sound of the hinges giving way to Boyd's wait, but they stubbornly resisted the large man. Boyd walked backwards again to try once more, and slammed onto the door with greater force than before. This time, the door flew away, sliding onto the floor below, causing Boyd to nearly trip.

With the door out of the way, Mist slipped into the room, only to cover her mouth in complete shock. When she first stepped foot into the room, she felt something splash onto her shin. Looking downwards, there was a huge puddle of blood flowing outwards from Soren's prone body.

"Soren!" Mist yelled and ran towards his limp body. She grabbed hold of his lying body and turned him around to face her.

His skin was pale, far paler than it normally was. His eyes were closed, and his skin felt cold to touch. The entirety of his cloak was soaked in blood, stemming from a deep cut on his wrists. The knife he used to cut himself was discarded just a few inches from his body.

Although pale and cold, Soren was still alive. Mist could tell from the frail breathes he was taking. Mist was grateful he didn't die, and that she was able to find him in time, but she didn't have any time to waste.

"Shit…damn man…" Boyd lamented.

"Boyd, we've no time!" Mist called out to Boyd. Looking around the room, Mist found the headband that Ike used to wear over his forehead. Soren must have used it as a means to remember Ike before he attempted suicide. "Take the headband and tie it tightly over Soren's cut! He might still be alive, but he'll bleed out if we don't bring him to Rhys soon enough!"

"Right! I'm on it!" Boyd took the headband and wrapped it around Soren's wrist. Fortunately, the headband was pretty long, so he made a number of wrap-a-rounds before tying it as tightly as he could. "Hopefully this should help…Mist, help put him on my back."

With Mist grabbing one arm and Boyd the other, the two teenagers lifted Soren from out of the floor. Mist helped Boyd position Soren properly on his back so that he could carry him with ease. With Soren's arms wrapped around Boyd's neck and Boyd holding on tightly to Soren's legs, he was ready to be transported to Rhys. Boyd didn't mind the blood that was leaking onto his back; this was an emergency and there were more important things to worry about than just the condition of his clothing.

"Make sure you don't let him fall off…" Mist said.

"Got it. I'll be back." With that, Boyd hurried away, Soren in tow.

Mist took a bit of time to examine the state of the room. Ike's side of the room had been cleaned thoroughly, showing the level of care that Soren had for Ike, as well as his staunch refusal to accept his death. He had made sure to cut himself at a place where none of the blood that was bound to leak flowed onto Ike's side of the room.

As for the source of the horrendous smell, Soren's sheets were defiled by feces and urine. The boy was so closed off and detached from reality that he outright did not want to go to the latrine, and chose to simply excrete everything in his room.

There wasn't much, since he didn't eat at all for the last couple of days. But what there was smelled so horridly, Mist was surprised that nobody had found out until now.

The sound of Oscar's cries brought Mist back to the present, and reminded her of the stakes. 'That's right…the Daein soldiers are still coming…Oscar must've found them…why did Soren had to try and kill himself now…This is all so very wrong! Father…brother…what should I do…'

Mist held her tears in. There wasn't anytime to cry at her sorrows. Right now, she needed to survive. She couldn't die just yet. She had to finish what it was that her father had set out to do. With that thought in her mind, she ran off to find Oscar.

* * *

"It seems Mist's warnings rung true." Oscar announced as soon as everyone actionable was present and accounted for. Rhys was in the makeshift infirmary of the castle, working desperately to heal Soren from his grievous suicide attempt. All that remained were Titania, Oscar, Boyd, Mia, Rolf, and Mist. And of all the people in the impromptu meeting, Mist and Rolf were non-combatants. Only four of the current Greil Mercenaries were capable of defending the castle.

"Damn…" Titania lamented. "At least we know now that Greil's death was definitely a coordinated Daein assassination. How else would they proceed with a well-timed assault just days after his death?"

"They must be truly desperate to retrieve Princess Crimea, huh?" Oscar replied.

"Heh. Too bad for them." Boyd snorted, rubbing his nose. "The Princess is long gone. All they'll be getting is a one way ticket to hell!"

Oscar remained silent after Boyd's remark, which unnerved the hot-head.

"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that they are still around a mile away. We have a bit of time to prepare for the assault. The bad news…the bad news is that they are well over 50 strong."

The number that Oscar announced immediately shut down any positiveness the group may have experienced before.

"50…" Mist started.

"Strong…" Rolf finished. His morale crushed immediately, Rolf collapsed to the floor. Boyd rushed to his side to help him back up, but the news hung deeply within everybody's mind.

"Dammit!" Boyd yelled. "Why'd they have to go all out for a group of mercenaries?! First they hound us all over Gallia, now they hoping to just eliminate us from the face of the earth?"

"So what?" Mia retorted, surprising everyone in the room. "50 strong…That's 50 people to be defeated! It'll be a good test to see how much I've learned with you guys!"

"Mia, be real!" Boyd lashed out in anger. "It's 4 against over 50. We'll get slaughtered!"

"Don't ya get too caught up in the details, Boyd. Ya might fry ya brain."

"What'd you say?!"

"What I'm saying is that we can handle them!" Mia said with a spring in her voice. "Remember how they brought reinforcements in the fortress, and we still took the day? It'll be a cinch!"

"Mia…we had Greil, Shinon, and Gatrie in our group at the time. They were all veterans. Now…they're all gone…" Oscar reminded the optimistic young girl.

"Oscar, ya can't bring yaself down before the battle even begins! 'Sides, even without the men, we'd handle ourselves pretty well in the fortress."

The tension in the room was building ever faster. Oscar and Boyd, defeated by the probability of defeat, and Mia, unmoved by overwhelming odds, clashed with each other for what to do.

Mist found the whole situation absurd. Mia should be listening to herself. Staying and defending the castle with their meager numbers would be the same as throwing themselves off a cliff to their deaths.

She was scared. She was so very scared. She felt like she wanted to cry. She wanted to give up, like Rolf did, and just let herself be swept up by what fate had in store. Maybe even join her father and brother in death.

But then she thought back to Volke. She thought back to the information he kept from her pertaining to her father. Then she remembered what it was that she wanted to do. She couldn't die, just yet.

She was terrified out of her wits, certainly. But she didn't want to die. She had to overcome her own fears if she wanted to grow stronger.

Her heartbeat grew ever faster. She needed to speak up, contribute to the discussion. The more time they spent bickering with each other, the less time they had to prepare for the incoming assault. Placing a palm over her increasingly beating heart, she took a deep breath.

"Um!" She practically scream, gaining everyone's attention. She felt completely embarrassed at how she went about with her interruption, her cheeks flushing a bright pink. But she couldn't afford to let this opportunity slip, so she continued. "I think we should just leave this castle. They're a mile away right? If we move fast we can outrun them."

"Yeah, Mist is right!" Boyd agreed. "I mean, I don't like running from a fight, but we really can't do this right now!"

"But we can't run from this fight!" Mia pleaded. "There's too many of them! Who's to say they aren't gonna just simply flank us in a pincer?"

The mere fact that Mia knew of such a tactical maneuver shocked both Boyd and Oscar. Even Mist was a little surprised. There was this unspoken agreement among everyone that Mia was…for lack of a better word…kind of a dunce.

Unfortunately for Mist, Titania finally spoke her opinion on the situation. "We can't leave." Boyd and Oscar looked down, while Mia looked ready to spring in joy. "We wouldn't have enough time to pack everything, and the merchant caravan that is with us would end up slowing us down if we did try to flee. Not only that, if we did leave in a hurry, we would jeopardize Soren's chances of survival. Rhys needs ample time to heal Soren, and Soren is a vital member of our company. We can't simply abandon him. That would spit on the legacy that Greil left behind."

All of Titania's words rang true to everybody. Fight or flight didn't matter in this scenario; the mere size and movement of the Daein forces meant that the mercenaries were going to engage in a skirmish at some point.

"We need to hold the position for as long as we can." Titania continued. "We know for certain that the Gallian Royal Palace is sending some of their laguz to guide us towards them. If we can hold off the Daeins until the laguz arrives, there's a strong chance that we might be able to see tomorrow's sun."

Oscar was still a bit skeptical at their odds, but he couldn't really refute the commands of his commander, so he just nodded at her words. Boyd, too, felt like he couldn't say anything against Titania. He looked a bit frustrated, but he decided to just hold it in and focus on the upcoming battle.

Mist's fears just continued to eat at her. They couldn't run, and they couldn't fight. Were they really just going to die here?

"Rolf, Mist. I need you guys to join Guston and the rest of the merchant caravan and hide as deep as you could inside the castle."

"B-but you can't!" Rolf finally spoke. "There's too many of them! It's hopeless!"

"Rolf." Oscar called out to the young boy. "We'll be fine. Haven't we always?" He smiled at Rolf to try and reassure him.

Boyd pat Rolf in the shoulders. "I don't like our chances either Rolf. But if we have to fight, we have to fight. And your big brother isn't going down easy, okay?"

Rolf wanted to continue arguing, but something about the calmness of his brothers' voices indeed brought reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

"Rolf, you're gonna have to take care of Mist, okay?" Oscar said.

"Oh, are ya saying Mist can't handle herself?" Mia responded. "Cuz Mist gots the making of a great hero! A tragic past, orphaned at such a young age. A drive to grow stronger, Mist's got it all!"

All Mia received was a harsh slap on the back of her head from Titania. "Mia, that was completely uncalled for!"

"Sorry Boss!" She straightened out and saluted. "It won't happen again!" She looked at Mist. "But ya gotta get stronger Mist! Ya just gotta do it! Do it for ya father and brother! I know ya got what it takes, ya hear me?"

Mist really didn't want to hear those comforting words from Mia, but they did resonate with her. She nodded in response and walked with Rolf.

"You guys…" Mist said before leaving the room. "You can't die. I won't forgive you if you guys died on me…please remember that!"

"Aww, you're making things hard on us, Mist!" Boyd responded with a toothy grin.

"You can rely on me, Mist. I will return to you, safe and sound." Oscar proudly promised.

"We will make it through the day, Mist. No need to worry." Titania reassured Mist.

"I can't die, Mist! Not when I haven't met my ultimate rival yet!" Mia proclaimed.

With the words of her comrades ringing on her ears, Mist decided to place her faith in them and walked with Rolf away from the discussion. Still, a dark cloud hung over her heart, an uncertainty of what's to come. She could only hope that they all truly come back to her.

* * *

 **Just releasing this uneditted piece right now. Wanna let you guys know that I've redone the first two chapters to fit the criteria I've listed for myself in the Prologue. Will edit this completely somewhere between now, August 13, 2018 6:00 PM and when I release Chapter Three.**


	4. Chapter Three

**WARNING: DEPICTIONS OF ATTEMPTED RAPE AHEAD. IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH SUCH SUBJECTS, SKIP THE SECOND SECTION OF THE CHAPTER.**

* * *

The sounds of battle made Mist want to vomit harshly. The worst part about her new-found hearing capabilities was that she could hear it more definitively. All the noise were more defined,and that only added to the disgusting nature of what she was just undergoing.

It didn't take long when Mist and Rolf met up with Guston, Aimee, and the twins before the first gurgles of pain crept onto Mist's ears. She was grateful it wasn't a sound she could recognize, but it was still disturbing nonetheless, and it instigated a gag reflex from her.

The wail came from what she assumed was a young boy. Probably somebody impressionable, who wanted to join the Daein Army to become someone greater than himself. Only to find himself felled by the hands of the enemy in the middle of a forest that he was completely unfamiliar with.

Mist didn't want to imagine the pain of dying, especially without accomplishing something with her life. The thought was just to frightening, forcing her to close her eyes tightly in hopes that it would just go away.

Of course, the sounds only continued to haunt her. Surprisingly, they were increasing in frequency, as more and more Daein soldiers were being cut down.

She could hear the hooves of Titania and Oscar's horses scurrying about incessantly, and she could hear the neighs of riderless horses, falling to their deaths as they were pierced by either Oscar's lance or Titania's poleaxe.

Mist couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor horses. They were dragged into these brutal fights against their wills, only to die just like that unfortunate, impressionable boy, away from familiarity and away from any semblance of meaning.

For now, all she could do was cover her ears and hope that the sorrowful noises would just go away. A hope she knew was far too idealistic to ever occur, but a hope she placed her faith in nonetheless.

Sitting with her was Rolf, who was fortunate enough not to have the same gift of hearing as Mist. As such his expression was far more composed than hers was. She wondered for a second how he would react should he find himself in the battlefield, surrounded by all the pain and misery wrought by war. She quickly dismissed that thought; it was far too dark for her to even remotely consider.

She found herself having more dark thoughts recently. Her lashing out at Mia is one such example of this. She always thought she wasn't capable of wishing harm onto others. She thought she was as pure and gentle as they came. The unfortunate demise of her entire family rapidly changed that view. She felt like she was starting to become someone who she couldn't even recognize.

Still, she knew there was nothing she could do in this situation. She couldn't fight, and fighting always made her feel ill. She'd be a liability towards her comrades. The first one most likely to die in combat, such as that boy.

She found contentment in Rolf's presence. She knew that Rolf was just like her: shy, pacifistic, domestic, and wary of conflict. He was quick to tears if there was a battle going on near him, and Mist was always the person to comfort him, even if she herself needed comfort as well.

Today, however, there was none of the passive emotions that Rolf normally felt during an engagement like this. He wasn't shy right now, he had an expression of unbridled determination plastered on his face. Mist could tell what he was thinking, and the thought frightened her. He was much too young and inexperienced to get involved in this fight, and Mist didn't want to let Rolf go.

"I think we're going to be fine, Rolf." Mist said in a reassuring tone. She was trying to get him to reevaluate his own thoughts and just focus on surviving the day. "We've got Titania and your brothers! They won't let us down! Oh, and we got Mia too, I suppose…"

Her thoughts brought her to Mia's own words of encouragement just a half hour ago. Sure, they were inconsiderate in tone as Mia usually was, but there was an honesty to it that Mist couldn't refute, no matter how she felt about the myrmidon. Mia believed in Mist. She believed that Mist could become someone greater than she already was. Mia had more faith in Mist than Mist had in herself. She still felt doubt and uncertainty within herself, and recent events just confused her.

"...It's just too much…" Rolf muttered to himself.

"I'm sorry?" Mist asked, unable to hear what Rolf had just said.

"Mist, don't be an idiot!" Rolf screamed, standing up and lashing his arm out aggressively. "It's 4 against 50! It's just too much!"

"No its not!" Mist retaliated, surprising herself. Just a short while ago, she was in the camp that they should just retreat, and that this fight was unreasonable. Perhaps she was just in denial right now. "They all said they can handle themselves, so we'll be fine!"

"It's 4 against 50 though Mist! It's just Titania and my brothers, and the new girl Mia! Maybe if we had Shinon and Gatrie we'd have a chance…but they're gone!"

"Even without those two meatheads, we can still pull it off though! So please, just stay her with me okay? We're just kids, Rolf. We can't do anything…"

"Mist, you know that's not true."

She knew, alright. She knew all about Rolf's secret training with Shinon just shortly after their kidnapping by bandits. Even though through out that whole ordeal, it was Mist who kept calm and maintained all hope, Rolf was the one who took initiative after the confrontation to better himself. He was the one who begged Shinon for training just afterwards, and he committed to the training with zeal. Mist, in her desire to maintain the status quo, chose to do nothing.

Of course she knew about Rolf's secret training. She often hid herself behind trees and just watched him practice over and over again. Rolf wasn't good. Not at all. But he didn't want to stop. He didn't want to feel afraid like he did with the bandits. So he continued to push himself. Now, he's an archer of decent quality, an impressive feat given the short amount of time between now and the kidnapping incident, but that was something to be partly attributed to Shinon's own prowess as an archer.

Shinon knew that Mist was spying on them. He did not say a thing. He'd sometimes acknowledge her presence by looking at her directly in the eyes, or gesturing silences but placing his index finger over his lips.

Mist felt something as she stared at Rolf's continued efforts. At the time, she didn't know what it was that she was feeling. She couldn't put words to it. But now, now she knew exactly what it was.

She felt envy.

Envy at her own inability to take the first step to better herself. Envy at Rolf's own determination.

The envy bit down on her, fueling her own sense of worth.

At some point, Rolf discovered Mist was spying on them. He had no qualms with that, but he begged her not to let Oscar or Boyd know. He wanted it to be a surprise.

To Rolf, however, now was not the time for surprises. And Mist knew this.

"Rolf please. You've never fought in a real battle before. Sure you know how to use a bow, but that's just not enough. Please…don't throw your life away."

"So what should I do? Just sit here and wait until they kill my brothers?! I can't do that Mist! I'm not going to stand by helplessly and lose my family again!"

Those words struck a chord within Mist's subconscious. She knew of Rolf's familial circumstances. Oscar was just talking about it only a short while ago, but she had known for quite some time. Rolf's mother abandoned the family as his father laid bedridden for disease. Rolf was so young at the time, so he could not remember his mother's face. But for the entirety of his life, his brothers was his family. He only remembered snippets of his father before he passed away, yet he was distraught greatly with his passing. He didn't want to feel that pain again.

Rolf had the means to protect his own family. Mist didn't. The thought had never truly occurred to her that they might die. Or maybe she was oblivious to it, or even in denial of that possibility. Regardless, Mist never too the measures to ensure that it couldn't happen, and such was her biggest regret that she was dealing with right now.

As Mist silently took in what Rolf had just said, she was unable to stop him from walking away from her. Mist didn't have any power to stop him.

Soon, she couldn't even hear the sounds of battle anymore. She couldn't concentrate on anything, really. Rolf's words lingered on her mind for far too long, and it took all of her energy to think about it.

"Heyya little lady!" She distantly heard, snapping her back to reality. "You took to long to get over here, so I got a little worried."

Guston, the blacksmith of the merchant caravan, approached Mist wondering about why she and Rolf took too long to head to safety.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" Was all Mist said to respond to him.

"Hmm…" He muttered, stroking his beard. "In any case, you gotta come over quickly. The battle's getting pretty hectic over there, and we don't wanna get caught up in the crossfire, amirite?"

"Right…"

"Speaking of which…where's that little fella hanging around with you? Can't see him over here."

"Rolf…he…" Mist just remembered that Rolf had just walked away, his goal being to aid in combat. Mist tried to stop him from going, but she became too preoccupied with her own self to even oppose him. "Rolf's in trouble! He left to go and fight in the battle!"

"That little runt? Now believe you me I ain't no fighter, but even I have a better chance against those Daein soldiers than the boy."

"I've gotta get him back!" Mist said without thinking, trying to run off to find Rolf. Almost as soon as she tried to leave, she felt Guston's powerful hand grip onto her tender forearm.

"Now wait just there little lady! There ain't no way in hell you're going out there to find your buddy! He may not stand much of a chance, but you gonna just get killed! Or even worse…"

"I know!" Mist shouted. She quickly shook her arm from Guston, surprising the man with the force she used to get him off of her. She clutched her fists tightly besides her, staring harshly down at the ground with her bangs covering her eyes. "I know…" Her fists began to tremble. "I can't do much of anything, mister. I'm just a little girl, all I know is how to cook and clean, and do other chores. I've never so much as swung a sword before, even in practice. I'm useless…"

"Little lady…" Guston tried to reach out to her, but she just inched away from him.

"Even so! I can't just sit here and wait for things to get better! I can't just do nothing while my friend goes out there and risks his life for nothing!"

"Girl you're gonna just have to! He went out there by himself, knowing what he could do. What happens to him is on him, nobody else. You gotta worry about you."

Guston's words rang true. His logic was sound, and there was no arguing against it.

But with Mist's fragile state of mind, she couldn't think about the consequences. All she could think about was what she could do right now to prevent the loss of yet another person she held dear.

She turned and faced Guston. Although he was considerably taller than she was, the fierce determination he saw in her eyes chilled him to inaction. There was a resolve in those eyes that he had not seen in a long, long time.

She turned back towards the corridor that led to the main lobby and ran off. She hoped she wasn't too late to stop Rolf from doing something completely stupid...

* * *

"Rolf! Rolf, where are you?!" Mist shouted in the corridor as she ran. The closer she got to the main lobby, the louder the sounds of war rung on her ears. She tried desperately to suppress her responses, but she couldn't stop the headache the was ailing her.

To her, she felt like her brain was banging on the the right side of her head, and that her right eye was trying to crawl its way outwards. She took a moment to just calm down and attempted to soothe the crushing pain.

Thankfully, she didn't hear any cries of pain from any voices she recognized. She could still hear the shouts of Oscar and Titania as they worked with their horses to down enemy riders. She heard Boyd's battle cries as he brought down his axe on heavy armored knights. She even heard Mia's disturbingly gleeful yells as she cut down her foes, one after the other.

Mia certainly sounded like she was enjoying herself. She could clearly hear her laughter, and she sounded like she was taunting her opponents. She sounded like she was looking for a challenge, someone who could bring her unrivalled thrills. A person that could push her to the edge of life, someone that threatened her very existence.

Maybe that was Mia's goal in life. But Mist couldn't truly empathize with that. This side of Mia truly frightened her.

While she was preoccupied with the noises of battle and her thoughts on Mia, she did not notice the encroaching sounds of a trio of soldiers who managed to find their way into the castle.

"Oi, oi oi, look what we got here?" One of the soldiers said with a snicker, holding his lance by his side. "Ayy, whatchu doin' in this here's castle girly?"

Mist's shoulders jumped at the sound of the soldier, the only reaction she made before she found herself held tightly against her will.

Both of her arms were forcefully grabbed, the gauntlet hands leaving a harsh, burning crimson mark on the smooth, creamy skin of her arms.

Mist struggled in vain to try and escape the vice-grip of the soldiers. They held on firmly, however, and her struggling only served to provide amusement to the black-clad soldiers.

"Hmm…what a catch we got here boys!" The man who wasn't grabbing onto Mist said. She assumed he was the head of the soldiers, as he looked down on her with gross eyes filled with a perverted desire. He stroked her ears softly, dragging his fingers down her face and neck onto the supple breasts of the young girl. As soon as his finger slipped off where her nipple would have been, he suddenly and violently grasped her breast, causing Mist to yelp in pain. "Not the tits I woulda liked, but this'll do. I ain't fuck a bitch in so long!"

"Whatchu talking 'bout mate? The younger the better, amirite?" The man holding her right arm said, slurping his tongue around his lips.

"Bet you touch little boys in the church on the weekends dontcha?" The soldier on the left responded, prompting a laugh from the leader.

"I ain't touch no little boys, dumbass!" He retaliated. "Ah fuck you! Ain't nothing you say is gonna change my mind 'bout the lass."

Mist was terrified out of her wits. She was in this position before, with the bandits. But the bandits didn't have any intention other than to kill her and Rolf. These guys, on the other hand, had every intention of inflicting sexual harm against her.

She was aware of what kinds of terrors awaited females in war. In private, Titania always reminded her of how women were treated as prisoners of war. Mist always took her serious, but she never imagined that such a thing could happen to her.

She didn't think a lot of things would happen to her. The last couple of days was completely eye-opening to her, in the wrong way.

She tried in vain to escape the grip of the two Daein soldiers, but they continued to maintain their firm handle on her. She couldn't see it, but the gauntlet hands started to tear into her arm, leaving small trails of blood.

"Please…let me go!" She pleaded, attempting to appeal to the conscious she hoped they had. She knew better, of course, but she had hoped that something could still happen.

"No can do, little lassy." The leader said, starting to remove his gauntlets. "Ain't had a pussy in quite a while, there's no way in hell we ain't missing this opportunity!"

The other soldiers laughed at the leader's response. Mist had figured that it wouldn't work. Bargaining with these kinds of people was an exercise in futility.

She started to shed tears as the leader approached her slowly, his gauntlets removed and discarded somewhere in the room. He forcibly grabbed onto her chin and violently thrust it upwards, forcing her to look at him. Outside of the grotesque gaze she wanted to avoid, his breath smelled of scraps of rotting food trapped in his teeth. This man took no special care in himself, and he was about to force his way with her. The thought alone made Mist want to vomit, and she tried wildly to look away from the man.

"Hmmm, nice eyes missy." The leader mocked, and he stuck his tongue out to lick her tears. His disgusting breath seeped into Mist's nostrils as she tried to turn away from the gross action, but the leader's hands kept her chin firm, and she had no choice but to feel as his slimy, bump-filled tongue slithered its way over her cheeks. "Your tears taste hella salty. I like that!"

"Gross man…" The left soldier responded. "Am I really the only one here that's normal?"

"Says the guy working with us to fuck the bitch…" The right soldier said.

"Gotta admit, I do wanna fuck the lass. Guess I'll cut my losses."

The leader ripped open Mist's blouse, exposing her perky, undeveloped breasts out in the open. The medallion she kept to herself fell onto her chest, previously hidden in place by her green scarf, now visible to the soldiers.

"Hmm, what's this right here?" The leader said. "What the fuck is this green shit?"

"NO! Don't touch that!" Mist yelled out defiantly, surprising herself and the soldiers. Despite her struggles, Mist was overall generally docile and complacent in her vocal disagreements. She had resigned herself to her fate, being unable to stand against the soldiers with her lack of strength and experience. Nothing the leader did invoked a strong response outside of tears and wails of sorrow, but her medallion had such a strong sentimental value to it that she wouldn't want anybody to do anything to it. It was her mother's keepsake, the last memorabilia of her family she had left. The medallion provided her with a courage she normally could never instigate in herself, and she was not about to let anyone take that away from her.

"This piece of crap? You care so much about this ugly shit, huh?" The leader smirked cruelly. "…I supposed I can comply…" He began to unbuckle the belt that held the lower half of his uniform. As soon as his penis was removed from the confines of his pants, his erection rocketed upwards. "…If you can give me some good head!"

The soldiers grabbing onto Mist violently lowered her to her knees, bringing her face first in front of the man's girth. A foul, fish-like odor immediately drifted into Mist's nostrils, forcing her to close her eyes and gag.

If Mist was scared before, she was in complete and utter terror now. The soldiers were playing around with her, using her as a means to entertain their twisted desires. There was nothing she could do about it. Nobody was coming to help her; everybody in the Greil Mercenaries was outside, trying to defend the Castle until their last breaths.

Thoughts of her brother flooded her mind. She wished he could just arrive suddenly and cut down the knaves that were threatening her. Save her just like he did with the bandits. But he was dead, and Mist was all alone.

"No…nonono! I don't want this! LEAVE ME ALONE!" She sobbed, her voice coughing out mucus from all the tears she was crying. Once again, she tried desperately to release herself from the soldier's grips, but their size and strength vastly overpowered her own, leaving her completely helpless to their whims.

Tears drifted downwards from her chin onto the exposed, milky skin of her petite chest. The mixture of her tears and the man's saliva on her chest felt completely grotesque, and she felt a growing feeling of disgust and defilement clutching her heart.

"No? Boys, lassy here's doesn't wanna do anything! She ain't want us to touch her precious trash, and she ain't wanna suck my dick? Whatever shall I do?" He grabbed the medallion hanging from her neck and forcefully tugged it towards him, ripping it from her chain while bringing her face-forward to his penis. "BITCH, YOU AIN'T HAD NO SAY IN THE MATTER!"

Whatever laughter the soldiers shared before became wild howls as the men thoroughly enjoyed the suffering of their target. The soldiers holding onto Mist's arms squeezed harder, forcing Mist to wail in pain, and prompting more laughter from the soldiers.

'I'm…I'm scared…This is all just a game to them…someone, please help me…father…brother…'

She closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable. She only hoped this wouldn't be painful and it wouldn't last too long. She expected to be felt up aggressively, but that was not to be the case. After a minute of silence, Mist timidly opened one of her eyes to see what was going on.

"Boss, somethin' the matter?" Asked one of the soldiers. Out of nowhere, the head soldier had stopped groping Mist's body. Silently, he stepped away from Mist, and turned from everyone, hands tightly holding onto the medallion he striped away from Mist. Unbeknownst to all but Mist, the medallion flared up briefly, like a mystical blue fire sparking into life.

The leader roared spontaneously, causing everyone to flinch at the sudden and surprising noise. He howled wildly, like a deranged beast cornered into submission.

Without warning, the leader pounced on the soldier holding onto Mist's right arm, tackling him ferociously to the ground.

Frightened at what just happened, the soldier holding onto Mist's left arm absentmindedly released his grip on her. Although Mist was unsure and terrified as to what was happening, she was cognizant enough to know an opportunity when she saw one, and she used her shoulder to tackle the soldier away from her in order to put more distance between the two of them.

Shocked at what just happened, the soldier immediately returned his attention to Mist, who was beginning to run away. He prepared to chase after her, but a blood-curdling scream stopped both of them in their tracks.

Turning to see what was happening with the crazed soldier, Mist collapsed to the ground, jaw wide opened and eyes cowering as she bore witness to the gruesome scene in front of her.

The leader was atop the soldier he attacked. He tore into the larynx of the unfortunate man with only his raw hands, and he continued to violently tear into it. He dug and dug and dug into the man's neck, tossing away both flesh and blood in his warped lunacy.

The poor soldier couldn't even scream anymore. His trachea was clogged by the sheer amount of blood he was losing, allowing him only to gurgle in desperate pain as he attempted to breath air into his failing lungs.

Attempts to remove the leader from him quickly faded into nothingness, as his once flailing arms no longer had the energy to keep fighting, falling limply onto the ground as the boss continued to rip his throat asunder.

The horrible death she just saw was the final tipping point for her composure. She tried as hard as she could to keep what little pride she had as the men had their way with her helpless body. But the way soldier was so brutally and callously murdered triggered flashbacks to the discovery of Ike's mutilated body. Unable to hold it in anymore, her bladder forcibly leaked all of its contents onto the ground, further filling the room with the odor of urine as well as blood.

Normally, the smell of urine would have greatly aroused the remaining soldier, but the sheer terror he felt from the abhorrent murder consumed his every thought. He had just seen his boss, a likeable bloke even if he was a little twisted, slaughter his good friend from the platoon. The boss continued shredding the throat of the long since dead soldier, playing around with the body in the same manner as a rag doll.

He hesitantly went for the lance he had initially discarded in preparation for the rape that should have happened. Mist was no longer in his mind; the only thing he cared about now was surviving this nightmare. He raised his lance uneasily at his former leader, who had stopped attacking the body upon hearing the clang of the lance.

"Boss…what…what the fuck man…you…you killed him…you FUCKING KILLED HIM!" The soldier's hands trembled immensely as the boss slowly rose from the corpse. He tried his best to hold the lance steady, but his nervousness got the best of him and his lance shook randomly.

If the soldier was expecting a reasonable response from the boss, he wasn't getting anything. Instead, the boss wailed a sharp cry and charged towards the scared soldier.

Closing his eyes, the soldier thrust his lance forward. Surprisingly, the forward momentum of the lance stopped all of a sudden, and the soldier felt some blood spray onto his face. He stopped his commander by stabbing him in the gut.

In utter disbelief at what he had just done, the soldier released the lance and fumbled backwards. Tears welled in his eyes as the implication of what just happened dawned on him. What was supposed to be a nice sexual experience ended up being a disturbing case of friendly fire.

Except, the leader wasn't dead.

Mist saw the medallion in his arm flare up again, breathing life into the man's psychotic rampage. Howling even louder then before, the leader forcibly removed the lance lodged inside his bowels, ignoring any and all pain he may have felt as he took it out from his backside to his abdomen.

Fear overtook the cowering soldier, and he tried erratically to run from the seemingly unkillable lunatic.

With a superhuman force that couldn't possibly have come from a man bleeding out of his stomach, the bloodthirsty leader tossed the lance like a javelin flying straight and true. It punctured through the retreating soldier's breastplate, penetrating his lungs.

The soldier fell on the ground, gasping in pain as he tried to take out the lance that stuck through his chest. The soldier began to hyperventilate, clawing urgently at the lance head in a vain attempt to free himself and somehow survive.

Instead, the lance was violently abstracted from the man's back. Without the lance there to clog the wound, blood began to pour from the soldier's prone body.

Roaring again, the leader stabbed at the soldier's back again. And again. And again. He kept stabbing at the soldier, even as he could not respond with sobs and screams. Blood dripped down from the leader's own wounds, but he seemed unconcerned with his own conditioned and focused instead on introducing now holes onto the now-dead soldier's back.

Mist wanted to scream out at the grotesque display at barbarism, but she held her silence begrudgingly. In her mind, pleas to avoid death ran rampant, and the pleas only rang louder the more blood and death she saw in this moment.

Using the wall to brace herself, Mist hoisted herself upright and began to run from the scene. Unfortunately, her boots slipped on the urine that she leaked out in her fright, and with an unconscious yelp fell onto the floor.

'This…this is it, huh?' She thought to herself as the leader snapped his head towards her direction. 'Father…Brother…I'm so sorry. I…couldn't protect you.' The wild roars of the deranged soldier was blocked off unconsciously as Mist continued her thoughts. 'I couldn't even hold on to Mother's keepsake in the end…some daughter I am, huh?' In spite of the ludicrous nature of the scenario at hand, Mist couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

She was going to die. She was going to be with her family in death. The thought somehow eased her into content. Tears rolling down her eyes, she looked up at the ceiling and readied herself to be impaled by the lance of the mad warrior.

She didn't notice the flash of steel that sliced off the arm holding onto the lance. The sudden interruption, as well as the loss of the limb broke the soldier's charge, causing him to crash onto the floor in front of Mist.

Mist panicked and scrambled backwards. The soldier, even with the wide wound in his abdomen and missing arm, did not falter for even a second. Pivoting his grounded body as quickly and inhumanely as he could, the soldier crawled his way towards Mist, intent on snuffing the life out of her. Hands gripping the medallion tightly, he awkwardly pushed himself forward, tearing at the skin of his fingers against the rough, unpolished stone floor.

In this tiny frame of a moment, time slowed down for Mist as she saw an opportunity to regain her medallion. Squinting her eyebrows into a look of unbridled determination, Mist delivered a kick with all the energy she could muster in her sitting position at the man's hand. She could hear the sound of multiple bones snapping from the force of the kick, which released the man's hold of the medallion.

"W…what the…" The soldier whispered with a hoarse breath before a blade penetrated the back of his neck.

Mist didn't know exactly what was occurring, but she knew she needed to retrieve the medallion again. She crawled towards the bloody lump of bone and flesh that was the man's hand and grabbed the medallion from his corpse. It was bloody from being held forcefully by the man, but Mist didn't care as she embraced the medallion fondly between her exposed bosom.

Somehow, she was able to survive the ordeal. She couldn't believe it.

"Mist, are you alright?" A chipper voice called out to her, one that rang with familiarity. Mist turned her head upwards to see that it was Mia who had saved her life.

"M…Mia…" Mist cried out weakly. The sheer relief she felt at the prospect of being safe relaxed her greatly, and she fainted on the spot. The last things she heard where Mia's worried shouts…and feral sounds of cats hissing in the distance.

* * *

A gentle breeze tickled at her face, prompting her to open her eyes. Drowsily, she yawned and sat herself upright. It took a couple of seconds for the fact to dawn on her, but she realized that she was at an unfamiliar location.

Upon closer inspection, she found herself to be at a field of flowers, daffodils from the looks of it. There was a shallow mist lurking around the air that prevented her from seeing too far into the distance.

She stood up and walked around. It had been a few months since she last picked flowers in a field like this. The last she recalled was when she was waiting for her brother to awaken during his final test with their father.

Squatting down, Mist gently felt the petals of a daffodil. She smiled, but it was one filled with nostalgic longing. She knew full and well that she couldn't get what she wanted anymore, but the flowers did reminder her of a time when everything was okay in her life.

She figured that, while she was here, she might as well pick some flowers, just for old time's sake. She reached for only the ones with the brightest colors, or the ones with the largest petals. The ones that appealed the most to everybody. She didn't know exactly who'd she give the flowers to, but she was certain that whoever received them would be pleased by her gift.

After nearly completing her bouquet of daffodils, Mist came across one who's luster had worn away and petals sunk low, as if crying to mourn a loss. To any onlooker, such a flower would have been uninteresting. The flower was on its last stretch of life, and there wasn't much left for it at all.

Yet, that in itself held a unique appeal that Mist could see. She reached out for it, hoping to provide it with some semblance of comfort and support, only to find herself making contact with a tiny hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Mist responded automatically, detracting her hand quickly. "Please, go ahead. It's all yours."

The small hand belonged to a young girl, dressed in a cloak that was the color of daffodils, much like her own blouse. Her moss green cape draped over her shoulders, somewhat similarly to Mist's own scarf around her neck. Her brownish-red wavy hair fluttered in the breeze, but her red eyes seemed to pierce through Mist's own cerulean lenses.

"This flower…its you, isn't it?" The young girl spoke softly.

Mist smiled at the girl's question. "That's right. I am the flower."

"Isn't that sad though?"

"It is." Mist maintained her smile, despite the melancholic implications of the flower. "But, it doesn't always have to be. With enough care, maybe…maybe someday this flower will grow again. Become as big and beautiful as its brother next to it."

Standing next to the flower, covering it in its shadow, was another larger daffodil. It appeared to be overwhelming it with its size and presence, but that's not what it looked like to Mist. To her, it was only trying to protect the wilting flower from the elements.

The young girl picked out the larger flower, allowing the wilting one to bathe in the rays of the sun, or whatever could seep through the misty air. "This one is you, too?"

Mist shook her head quietly. "No. That flower couldn't be me." Once again she gently pet the wilting flower, which seemed to be regaining a bit of its color. Perhaps no longer cloaked in the shadow of the larger flower, the colors of the wilting flower was allowed to present itself in all its radiant glory. That was what Mist thought, anyways. "That flower…that flower is what this flower will become."

"Is that so?" The young girl asked. Although her voice carried a tone of childish innocence, the way she enunciated her question gave it a sense of authority, one Mist couldn't expect from a girl her age. "If that is what you believe…then I will watch over you. Show me that you can change your fate. That you can blossom into a beautiful flower from the brink of despair."

With that said, Light broke through the barrier of mist, and the gentle breeze howled with the destructive force of a hurricane. Mist found herself swept up in the drastic change of the atmosphere, and she reached down towards the girl, who only looked up at her with a smile on her face.

"Please…come again soon! I haven't seen a human like you in so long!" She waved her hand goodbye as Mist struggled in vain against the tempest. When she was no longer able to see the little girl, all the sensations she felt halted completely, and everything went black.

* * *

 **I don't understand how Mist in this story is considered a "Mary Sue." Sure, she has incredible hearing, but this is a fact that is canon in the original game "Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance." In the chapter Day Breaks, Nasir comments that her hearing is as good as that of the Laguz. The senses of the Laguz are naturally more enhanced than that of the beorc, and as such Mist has superhuman hearing. Of course, her hearing isn't anywhere near as good as Ulki, who can hear a pin drop from a continent away, but it is good enough to allow her to discern certain details of the environment that most normal people couldn't even comprehend.**

 **But other than that, she doesn't have any major significant strengths, nor does she have no flaws whatsoever. Some people may argue that the Ragnell scene is proof that Mist in this story is a Mary Sue, but that isn't the case. I can't really explain it in the story, as the characters don't know yet, but Ragnell and Alondite are sister swords. I do plan on delving into my own headcanon for Alondite and Ragnell, but I believe that the two weapons are bound by destiny. The wielder of Ragnell is bound to encounter the wielder of Alondite, regardless of whether or not it is a violent one. Spoilers, sure, but I kinda wanna deal with this "Mary Sue" claim. If you are a person who holds this opinion, please PM me with your reasons why. I tried writing in a way to avoid this stereotyping, so I would like to know what I have done wrong that would prompt this.**

 **For those of you interested in the depiction of the battle, I'm sorry I did not write about it. I intend to write this story almost entirely in the perspective of Mist, so events and actions that Mist had no parts in will not be written. However, I do plan on writing "Gaiden" chapters, or Paralogues, what have you, that will detail very important, crucial, plot-related events that Mist did not personally experience. The first two planned Gaiden chapters will be Ike's fatal encounter with the Black Knight, and Mia's dance of death in the defense of Gebal Castle. A note: Gaiden chapters will be shorter than story chapters. I'm thinking between 3000 to 5000 words. Gaiden chapters will be written in the First-Person perspective. These two things will allow the Gaiden chapters to be different from the normal chapters.**

 **Finally, I apologize for the general "grim and dim" atmosphere of the story. It's going to take some time before things mellow out, as Mist is still coping with the loss of her entire biological family, and now must deal with the aftermath of an attempted rape and witnessing brutality the likes of which she had never seen before. Undoubtedly going to have PTSD. I'm unsure if her suffering is on the same level as Okabe Rintaro or Natsuki Subaru, but its probably up there. When it comes time to finally write something that eases the building tension, please bear with me as I navigate writing such scenes. I'm unfamiliar with writing "chill scenes."**

 **Read and Review! Thanks for your time!**


	5. Chapter Four

"YUNE!" Mist shouted as loud as she could, stretching her hand out as far as she could to grasp the hand of the younger girl. Except, the girl was no longer there. There was no tempest assaulting her with galeforce winds, no blackout impairing her vision, no field of daffodils or any mist of any kind. Certainly there wasn't any young brunette girl laying curiously in the middle of it all.

Mist wasn't at that curious place anymore. She was, in fact, in her own bed inside Gebal Castle. When clarity returned to her, she recognized it almost immediately.

'Yune…huh? I wonder…what made me scream out that name?' Mist thought she recalled her awakening. She had never heard the name before in her life, yet it somehow bore familiarity with Mist. As if she knew it for her entire life.

Mist raised her other arm, wincing in pain at the action. She studied her hand carefully. Clutched tightly within her palm…was her mother's keepsake. The bronze medallion radiated a gentle warmth, and Mist had found calmness gazing upon it. She lifted the medallion towards her chest, hugging it as if it were her own mother.

Mist wanted to set the medallion down, but she found herself unable to open her hand. In fact, a bit of blood was leaking out of the joint of her fingers. Apparently, she held onto the medallion tightly for so long that she was incapable of any other actions involving her hand.

As she wondered why that was the case, a flood of memories rushed into her mind. Rolf's departure, the three Daein soldier's attempt at raping her, the leader's decent into madness…all these horrific events assaulted her mind relentlessly, replaying over and over to torment her in her weakness and fatigue.

"KYAA!" She yelled, clutching her head with her hands to try and stave off the memories. No matter what she did, the memories continued to harass her mind. Her skin lit up with lines of goosebumps as she remember the disgusting hands of those inhuman soldiers. She hugged herself to try and remove the feelings she was receiving, shivering wildly and sobbing quietly.

Midst her plight, strange snoring noises could be heard relatively close to where Mist was. The snoring only got louder as her pain increased, and at some point the obnoxious noise was overriding the dark thoughts of her near-rape.

She turned to see what exactly was the source of the annoying sound. Sitting on the floor next to Mist's bed, was Mia. Her head was bobbing back and forth as she attempted to unconsciously keep it straight, failing over and over again in a humorous display of futility. The only constant was Mia's snoring, one that Mist found to be annoyingly familiar.

Be that as it may, she ultimately found comfort in the snores of the sleeping Mia. Even in sleep, Mia found ways to trouble her comrades, but this time, Mia had brought solace to Mist's troubled heart.

She remembered Mia's last second save. Mia was the one who slew the savage soldier when he tried to kill Mist. Despite everything that Mist had said to her, she still saved her life.

Shedding a few tears at the thought, Mist laid down on the bed, close to Mia's resting head, and wrapped her arms around her. Sniffling, Mist rested her head on Mia's shoulder, who unconsciously responded by rubbing her cheek on Mist's own, like a cat warming up to its owner.

"Mia…thank you…" She whispered at Mia's ear.

"One more fight boss…" Mia yawned sleepily. "I swear I'mma beat ya this time, so just give me another shot!"

Mist giggled quietly. Even in her dreams, the only thing Mia thought about was fighting and getting stronger. It was like Mist had thought before. That particular trait of Mia's was an incredible nuisance, but it was also one of the most endearing aspects of her personality. Mia wouldn't be Mia with her penchant for duels at dawn and challenging everyone, and for the first time since they met, Mist found herself okay with those eccentricities of the bubbly indigo haired myrmidon.

It took a while before Mia woke up. During her sleep, she was flailing her arms about wildly, as if she was actually engaged in a battle in her dreams. On the occasion she would spout out some nonsensical drivel, but for the most part it was entertaining to see Mia act so bizarrely even in her sleep.

Mist took a bit of comfort sitting next to the myrmidon. While she was waiting for the girl to wake up, she noticed that her clothing had been swapped during her sleep. Instead of her usual yellow blouse and skirt, Mist was outfitted with a white, sleeveless one-piece dress, with the skirt reaching slightly above her knees. The skirt was pretty loose, and she felt she could move around with ease, but she was a little upset at the choice of colors. White was the worst color to wear, especially if you wanted to travel around a lot. It was pretty easy to acquire stains, blood in particular, and it was pretty difficult to remove those stains…blood in particular.

Mist blushed deeply as she thought of who it was that could have changed her while she was unconscious, her bangs hanging over her clutched closed eyes, cheeks burning in embarrassment. She hoped it was either Titania or Mia that changed her. She would be okay if it was Rhys or Rolf, but if it was Boyd…Mist couldn't live with herself if it was Boyd.

The change was completely necessary, after all. Her blouse had been torn apart during the attack, and her undergarments and skirt had been defiled by her leaking urine. She still couldn't believe that she had wet herself during the whole ordeal, thinking herself to be far too old for such an accident to occur. But the attempted rape was such a terrifying point in her life. Even more so than the bandit kidnapping. The sudden transformation of that soldier from shameless pervert to psychotic murderer was further fuel to her fears.

She didn't know what would happen to her now. She didn't know how she would react around everybody else. She didn't know who knew about her ordeal. Mia certainly, but what about the other boys? How would Rolf be treated when they learn that he left Mist alone? How would Mist be punished when it comes to light that she didn't do enough to keep Rolf from running on his own?

She sat next to Mia on the floor as she thought about this. The uncertainty of what would come next unnerved Mist, so she decided to rest her head on Mia's resting shoulder. She wasn't wearing her pauldron, providing further comfort to Mist as she laid her head and focused on Mia's cyclic breathing.

The breathing was so rhythmic that Mist felt herself nodding off to sleep. It undoubtedly would have worked too, if the door did not suddenly open, knocking both Mia and Mist out of an unconscious state.

Immediately rising to her feet, and completely oblivious that Mist was resting on her shoulder, Mia looked frantically everywhere for the person or thing that riled her awareness. "Who's there, fiend?! Show yaself and prepare to be defeated!"

Mist, on the ground from Mia's sudden rising, rubbed her nose gently. She hoped it didn't get too hard when Mia's shoulder hit her. But she, too, was curious as to who came in the room. It was probably Titania or Rhys, trying to check up on Mist.

It was neither. Mist had never seen this new person before. She held a blank expression on her face as she witnessed Mia's eccentricities firsthand. Her eyes, devoid of life entirely, couldn't be determined whether it was annoyed, bored, or simply apathetic.

Her lavender hair was tied to twintails that hanged over her shoulder. She covered her shoulders with a short beige cloak, and she wore a rather simple light green blouse and violet skirt that matched her hair very well.

"Oh…was I interrupting something…" The young girl asked in a raspy voice. She sounded like she could just keel over at any given moment.

"Ah, Ilyana! It's just ya. Don't scare me like that, ya never know when I've got a blade in hand, amirite?"

"I'll…keep that in mind…"

"Mia…who is this person?" Mist asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Mist's voice completely caught Mia off-guard, prompting her to leap backwards towards Ilyana and the door. "Ah! I see these foul villains tried to sneak up from behind me! Well, ya won't get the best of me! I'm 100% alert at all times! And Ilyana is here with me! There's no way we're going to lose!"

"Hello…" Ilyana introduced herself, ignoring Mia's nonsensical shenanigans. "I'm…Ilyana. It's nice to meet you…" Ilyana's quiet voice and occasional pause in speaking left Mist incredibly worried for the girl. She seemed like she was sick and ready to collapse unless someone paid some medical attention to her.

"Hey Ilyana." Mist answered in a reassuring voice. "My name is Mist. The pleasure is all mine." Ilyana answered Mist's introduction with a soft nod.

"Oh, Mist! Ya shoulda told me ya where here!" Mia spoke, finally recognizing Mist's presence in the room. Mist would have normally been surprised at the indigo-haired woman's behavior, but such a thing was expected of Mia. Mist would have been more worried if Mia was acting normally. "Ha! Sneaking up behind me like that! Ya a crafty one! This is why ya gotta be my eternal rival. Uh-huh!"

"Mia…I just woke up…" Mist said in a tired voice. "I couldn't possibly have sneaked up behind you."

"Uh-uh, no way! Ya did sneaked up behind me! How else could ya have gotten past my amazing guard?"

"I don't know. By the way, thanks for sleeping next to me while I was sleeping. It made me feel safe."

Mia scratched the back of her head. "Hey, its no problem! Anytime boss!"

'She…still doesn't know that she was sleeping like a rock right next to me? Why can't she link those two things together?' Mist thought flabbergasted.

"By the way, do you…um…do you know…" Mist was a little nervous asking the question she was about to. She wanted to know who it was that changed her clothing while she rested.

"Speak up Boss! Don't be shy!" Mia encouraged.

"Well…umm…who was it…that undressed me…oh, goodness this is embarrassing…"

"What's so embarrassing about being naked? Doesn't it feel amazing and uplifting to be in the nude? Ya could feel the wind blow across your skin, and its like nothing gets to ya, ya feelin'?"

"C'mon Mia…you're a girl! Don't you have any shame? Doesn't these things…you know…aren't these things at least embarrassing to you?"

"Nope. Why would they be? It's just my body. What's so embarrassing about your body? Ya should have pride in what ya have!"

Mist's cheeks flushed a deep red. "M-Mia…you idiot!" She turned away from Mia. She couldn't understand how Mia could be so lackadaisical on so many topics. She knew she shouldn't think too deeply into these things, since Mia didn't bother to think too ahead with anything, but she couldn't help but worry about these issues.

"So yeah. I kinda sorta changed ya when ya where sleeping, just to answer ya question." Mia responded, bringing the topic back to the point.

She couldn't feel it, but Mist's cheeks brightened upon hearing the revelation. "But…where did you get the outfit? I don't remember ever owning a white blouse."

"Oh, that's one of my outfits! I was preparing it just in case I met my rival. I also have an outfit for males too, if that's what ya thinking."

"B-but this is a perfect fit…" Mist's cheeks flushed harder. The implications that Mia possibly…She couldn't even finish that train of thought, as the embarrassment threatened to shut her brain down.

"Ya never know who ya rival might be, so I bought like a bunch of different outfits. Took a while to find out which one fit ya."

"And…and my…underpants…"

"Oh, those are one of yours. I'm not about to give ya one of my panties, ya perv!"

'She went through my…my…oh goodness…' Mia's density was bound to melt Mist into a liquid goo on the floor. Yet, it was incredibly endearing, at least to Mist. But Mia's obliviousness only served to remind Mist of Ike's own density. With the thought of her brother in her mind now, Mist couldn't help but lower her gaze to the floor.

"What's…wrong, Mist…?" Ilyana asked, noticing the shift in Mist's behavior immediately. "Are…you alright…?"

"Yeah boss! Can't have my rival feeling down, now can we?"

"Rival?" Mist asked.

"Yeah! A met a fortune-teller on my way to the Gallian border, at Port Toha, and she said that I'd meet my rival, clad with white robes, and we'd have our destined duel at the onset of dawn! How dreamy…"

"Is…is that why I'm dressed in all white?"

"Ya really smart Boss! That fortune-teller, the one with silver hair and golden eyes, she looked like she was absolutely right! So I figured, If I can't find my rival, I might as well make one, ya feelin'?"

Mist simply stared at Mia with a deadpan plastered on her face.

"Speaking of feeling, what's got ya so cheerless?" Mia asked again.

'You're only saying that because Ilyana brought it up!' Mist thought. "Oh…I-it's nothing. I must still be sleepy. I've slept a long while after all. So…you're new, Ilyana. I haven't seen you before."

"Oh…It's-"

"Yeah! I recruited her myself! Ya won't believe how it happened!" Mia began her story. "So I'm surrounded by these two Daein lancers right? And they're thinking that they got me beat! Cuz lances beat swords, that's how it usually is right? So they both charge at me with their lances, but I twist away so elegantly! Like a cherry blossom petal in the wind! It was incredibly graceful, let me tell ya! So now these two Daein soldiers are all disoriented because their plan failed completely. So I take my chance to strike! SWOOSH! KAPOW! I sliced both of them up with one fell swoop! It was kind of impressive, let me tell ya! So, I'm readying up for the next batch of mooks, and Ilyana comes into my vision. To me, she looked like the kind of girl who would put up an amazing challenge, so I pounced on her with my trusty sword in hand! I'm getting ready to cut her up, but she completely dodges my attack! I was in shock! The normal mooks woulda died with that one sword swing! They kinda are a little dumb when it comes to dodging, but it's whatever. So, I'm getting pumped now, since Ilyana was the first in the battle to actually dodge one of my attacks. I feel the adrenaline pumping and I'm all excited to go and fight a worthy opponent! But then I couldn't find her! I looked all over, but she vanished! Like the wind! I couldn't help but have this big, stupid smile on my face! She was so good! Then there was this other mook that tried to sneak up on me, but he was super clumsy and very loud, and I dealt with him pretty quickly. So I'm searching around for my newfound rival, but I couldn't find her! When all my hopes seemed dashed, I heard a loud grumbling noise. It was the loudest grumbling noise I've ever heard! Even louder than my own stomach! I couldn't believe it! On the ground, was Ilyana. She looked like she was gonna die. I couldn't let that happen to my new rival, so I run up to her and check on her. She places her hand on my cheeks, coughing harshly and stuff, and tells me that she hasn't eaten breakfast. That was the most depressing story I've ever heard. Going to battle, and ya haven't even eaten breakfast yet…It's hard to fight on an empty stomach, believe me. She told me they could didn't feed her, and had her form up with the other soldiers, despite the fact that she wasn't even a combatant! But then her stomach growled again, and she had another coughing fit! I reached into my satchel in panic and pulled out a nice little biscuit I was holding onto for myself, just in case. And I offer it to her, asking her to fight me fair and square once she's feeling better. She gives me a nod and takes the biscuit and eats it in one go. All of a sudden, she's up and about! Like she was never even weak in the first place! I was so happy! I could feel it right there, the imminent battle between me and my one true rival, a life and death confrontation that would bring out only the best in both of us! So I have my sword ready, about to strike when I hear thunder clap on the battlefield. Turning towards Ilyana, I see her using a Thunder tome to bring down three Daein soldiers trying to rush up on us. She then turns towards me, tells me I'm a good person, and that she would fight _for_ me. Biggest disappointment in my life, not even gonna lie. Plus, she was a mage, not a swordswoman. That was doubly disappointed. So, I decided to take her in as my protege, and teach her the arts of sword combat! Since I see so much unrivalled potential in her. There's no way she couldn't be an amazing swordswoman! By the way, after she joined up with us, we ended up taking out like 15 to 20 soldiers together. I don't really know, I lost count with all the blood pumping up to my brain and my sword. But it was exhilarating for sure! And that's how I ended up meeting Ilyana."

"Oh, so you were travelling with Guston's caravan for a while, huh?" Mist verified Ilyana's statement.

"Uh-huh!" Ilyana replied, munching on a biscuit that Mist had given her once Ilyana explained her fatigue was due to hunger. She had made a remarkable turnaround immediately after receiving that sustenance. Ilyana had become attached to Mist instantly upon her offering of the biscuit. "The people in the caravan are very nice. They always feed me with wonderful food. You're a nice girl too, Mist. Thanks again for the food."

"Don't worry about it!" Mist smiled. "If you're gonna be travelling with us, then you're gonna have a lot of opportunities to taste my cooking. Just think of this as an appetizer for the future…even though this is just…well…stale biscuits…"

"I still appreciate it Mist." She took another bite of the biscuit. "Thank you so much!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Whatcha guys doin' over there? I thought ya where listening to my cool story?"

"Huh? You were taking too long to get to the point." Mist answered. "So I asked Ilyana directly. She was straight to the point, so we talked a bit more while you were rambling on."

"B-b-b-b-b-but…my story…t-t-the kapow sounds…and the swoosh…" Mia looked like she was about to cry, but such a display didn't fool Mist in the slightest. There was no way Mia would get depressed over something as trivial as this.

"So, what are you doing over here, Ilyana?" Mist asked, getting back to the original topic at hand.

"The commander asked me to check up on you." Ilyana spoke normally, without any stuttering or nervousness. It was surprising how easily Ilyana could bounce back from the verge of starvation.

"Oh, is that all?" Mist asked. "Well, I'm doing…doing…huh?" Unbeknownst to Mist, tears streaked down her eyes. She didn't know why at first, but the reason dawned on her quickly enough.

She was alive. They all were alive.

She had been speaking so nonchalantly with Mia and Ilyana that she had almost completely forgotten that just a day ago they entire company risked complete annihilation from a Daein Legion. They all put everything on the line, against considerable odds, just so that they could live to fight another day. Even Mist, who was told to wait inside in relative safety, had her own ordeals to work against in the form of her attempted rape.

And they did. They all survived the night. She was alive.

Wiping her tears at the realization, all she told Ilyana was "I'm alive…"

"Of course we are, Boss! Ya didn't think we'd kick the bucket that easily, didya?" Slicing through the tension with her endearing obliviousness was Mia's retort to Mist's response.

Mist smiled, and opted to playfully answer in kind. "You didn't think we'd survive that, did you?" She asked, softly punching Mia's arm.

"Of course I did! There was no way I was gonna die here! I mean, I haven't had my climactic battle against my chosen rival yet!" Mia's grin was wide and toothy, displaying all the confidence she had in her belief. "Then again, ya'll are pretty amazing, as a company I mean. Even without the two veterans, that bookworm raven and the Bosses, ya'll fought like demons! It pumped me up so much! Made me feel like I had to work twice as hard just to keep up, I'll tell ya!"

Mist giggled. Hearing Mia's praise of the Greil Mercenaries only helped to bolster her own confidence in the team. A sad smile on her face reminded her that this was the family that her father worked so hard to build. She was immensely grateful that she was alive to continue to travel with the company still. After all, it was all the legacy her father and brother had left. She needed to work hard, so that she, too, could be a part of that legacy.

"Shame, really. 'Bout the runt. He killed a couple of Daeins, but he wasn't looking out for himself."

With that statement, time slowed down for Mist. Her heart-rate spiked instantly, and her breathing increased subtly.

"T…The runt? Heh…which runt?"

"I don't remember his name, but he had light-green hair. He had this bow with him, and he certainly knew how to use it, credit to him."

Mist held her palms over her mouth in an effort to control her breathing. There was no she could be talking about Rolf, could there?

"He came out of the front door of the castle and immediately sniped a soldier that was trying to sneak up on me! I was pretty grateful for the timely help, that's for sure. In battle, of course, things are constantly changing, so ya gotta change with the things, ya know what I mean. Especially with so many soldiers in such a small area like the courtyard of the castle. Ya couldn't stick to just focusing on one guy at a time, ya always needed to move on to the next after striking down ya opponent. No time for calculatin' nothing. I guess he wasn't fast enough. I didn't see what happened, but I couldn't hear the sound of a bowstring letting loose on our side anymore, so I guessed he got killed. Kinda sad really, I didn't get a chance to thank him for saving my life!"

Mia was so preoccupied with telling her story once again, that she failed to notice the horror apparent on Mist's face as the consequences of her actions dawned on her. Ilyana, astute as she was, immediately provided comfort to the troubled young girl, who was working through the realization that she didn't do enough to stop Rolf from getting himself killed.

* * *

Nothing seemed to go right in the slightest for the Greil Mercenaries. Since achieving their objective, which was to escort Princess Elincia to Gallia for safe keeping, Greil and Ike were both slain by an as of yet unknown assailant, and Soren, the tactician for the company, attempted suicide and was currently incapacitated.

Now, the youngest member of the mercenary company, Rolf, was joining Greil and Ike on the cliffside gravesite overlooking the ocean. It was yet another funeral that Mist had to attend: yet another death that she failed to prevent.

Mist couldn't help but blame herself. It was questionable in her mind whether or not she was at fault for the deaths of Ike and Greil (she heavily believed herself to be), but it was undeniable that she was left in charge of the rambunctious young boy who sought to prove himself and died trying. Granted, the entire situation they were in was impossible and they surely should have perished. It was a miracle that almost everyone in the company was alive, and that they were not holding a funeral for more of their members.

Still, Mist devastated herself with her constant, self-defeating thoughts. Yet, she could not bring herself to cry. Perhaps, she didn't feel as much for the boy as she liked to admit. The thought frightened her; Rolf was the closest thing to a friend that Mist had in the mercenary company, and when she wasn't spending time with her family or performing chores for the group, she was playing around with Rolf.

Their childish, innocent relationship was the only facet of normalcy within the group. Whenever anybody saw the two play around, it reminded them that not everything was about saving villages from bandits or stopping pirates or ruffians from attacking coastal towns. The mercenaries could rest assured that not everything in their lives needed to relate to violence.

Here they were. Another member lost before his time had even came. And the only thing that swallowed Mist's thoughts were how weak she was. How she was unable to prevent anything. How she couldn't protect anyone. So many people that she held dear have already died before her, while she did nothing but stand in the sidelines, safe and sound and incapable of even remotely changing any outcome.

Boyd and Oscar, Rolf's only family remaining, stood grim and silent, staring emptily at Rolf's gravestone. He was buried right next to Ike, his bow, crafted with some assistance from Shinon, standing right next to it. Each gravestone held something of importance to the person buried beneath it: Greil's axe Urvan, Ike's broken Regal Sword and his headband tied directly to the gravestone, and Rolf's Bow, strung over the gravestone. It served as a reminder to the world that these people once lived. That they fought and that they died fighting.

Was this the end that all mercenaries where fated to succumb to? Mist shuddered at the thought. She looked around at everyone. Titania, Rhys, Boyd, Oscar, and Mia. Were they all going to die in battle? Just some nameless sellsword with no honor or glory to hold their names in high regard? Will she die fighting too?

Somehow, the thought of her death in combat comforted her. If that were to be the case, she took solace in knowing that she would die in the exact same way that her entire family did.

Ilyana and the rest of the merchant caravan were not there. They did offer their condolences to Rolf's brothers as well as Titania, but they reasoned that it would be awkward to be at a funeral for someone they hardly knew.

The laguz who had just saved them, Mist had learned a little while earlier, also did not attend. They were in an incredible hurry to return back to the capital, but they were gently convinced by Titania and Rhys to allow them to finish the burial and mourning procedures.

Soren was still recovering from his attempt, and couldn't leave from his bed anytime soon, so he also couldn't make the funeral. The only people in the funeral right now were the able-bodied members of the mercenaries, which, tragically, continued to decline day after day.

Mist stepped forward from the crowd. As Rolf's best friend, she felt obligated to provide an obituary for the fallen young boy. The atmosphere was solemn beyond words. Even Mia stood silent, although that was mostly because Mist goaded Mia to reluctantly stay silent throughout the funeral, claiming she might cause a situation to arise from the grieving brothers if she were to say something inappropriate. Of course, Mia objected to the claim, but Mist still managed to silence Mia for the event.

"Rolf…Oh Rolf…" Mist began, unsure of how, exactly, to start the obituary. "Rolf…we've been through so much together. Ever since you and your brothers arrived at our small headquarters all those years ago, we've been pretty much inseparable. You were the youngest out of all of us, and the most shy. I remember Boyd often made fun of you for how timid you were."

"But then, we were kidnapped by bandits. All you could do was cry, and I had to be the shoulder you cried on. When we were saved, you came to me and told me that you were tired of feeling weak. That you were tired of letting others protect you. That you wanted to become stronger, just like your brothers."

"And so, you secretly went to Shinon, the man who saved you, and then you pleaded with him to teach you archery. You never once relented, going to him day in and day out until he finally gave up and started teaching you. I watched you from the sidelines as you became more and more determined with each failure. At the time, I felt nothing but pride when you finally got what you wanted."

"But now…now…I can't help but be jealous of you. How…? What made you never give up? What was it that pushed you to try and become stronger? You went out of your way to want to help everybody secretly, while I decided to be content with just…just…"

Mist took a moment to herself. Now wasn't the time to berate herself on her own weakness. That would be completely selfish of her, considering that this was the time to honor Rolf's memories.

"I'm sorry, Rolf. You may have been the youngest of all of us, but you had more heart than any of us ever did. You didn't want to stay in the sidelines, crying to yourself and waiting to be rescued. No. You wanted to be a man, just like your brothers. To fight by their sides, and to protect them just like they did for you."

'Just like I should have done for my own family…'

"I should have done more to stop you! I knew where you were after Shinon left us! I knew you weren't ready for real fights yet…But I didn't do anything. Your words…they got to me. And even though I knew you weren't strong enough…I let you go. I didn't stop you. You just…walked away towards the fighting, while I just stood there and…and…and cursed my own weakness!"

"I'm sorry Rolf! It was my fault you died! I was the one who killed you! I…I…I couldn't protect you…"

Mist stood in front of Rolf's grave, hands balled into fists that shook nervously at her own admittance of guilt. There was no denying it. She really was the one who killed Rolf.

"Mist no, that's not true!" Boyd answered Mist, slowly approaching her. "Mist…you didn't do nothing. Don't blame yourself for what happened."

"Boyd…" Mist whimpered, turning to face the older boy.

"Rolf wouldn't want this from you. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself. He…he chose this for himself. He…It's just like you said. He wanted to protect us. Using his own strength. If there's anything we brothers inherited from our father, it was his bull-headness, that's for sure!"

Mist understood that Boyd was trying to reassure her. But she couldn't accept it. She had managed to convince her own mind that she was the reason that Rolf had died. She refused to make eye contact with Boyd in his futile attempt to comfort her, opting instead to stare directly at the ground where Ike was laid to rest.

"Mist…please…" Boyd tried again to reassure her, this time gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Immediately, Mist stiffened. She stopped moving completely. She stopped breathing completely.

That single touch from Boyd froze her over entirely. She clutched onto her medallion tightly for support, but the memories of the rape attempt flushed her mind all at once. The men holding onto her arm tightly, causing her skin to redden and bruise grotesquely. The man defiling her innocence by touching her all over, while she was helpless to stop him. The disgusting, slimy feeling of his tongue feeling all over her body like a leech sucking her blood. All those sensations rushed at her at once, forcing goosebumps all over her arms and sending shivers of fear down her spine.

Instantly, Boyd felt something was off with Mist. "Mist…Mist is everything? What's going on? Mist?" He placed his other hand on her other shoulder and softly shook her. Mist responded by hyperventilating uncontrollably. She couldn't even scream, the flashbacks of the rape attempt and her hyperventilation blocking all sensible responses other panic.

Soon, the other mercenaries found themselves worried for the young Mist. Oscar and Rhys did not fully understand what was ailing the girl, and Boyd was at a complete loss of what was wrong at the moment.

Titania, however, knew exactly what Mist was responding to. She had guessed what happened to her when Mia approached Titania with an unconscious Mist, her clothing tattered and ripped. But this response from Boyd was undoubtedly a panic attack caused by a reaction to her memories. Titania had seen girls just like Mist succumb to repressed fears after horrible attacks, and she cursed herself for not seeing the signs for what they truly were.

"Boyd. Step away from Mist, now." Titania commanded.

"But ma'am-"

"Now!" She yelled, surprising nearly everyone there. Boyd answered with an uneasy nod and let go of Mist, who didn't seem to register the fact that Boyd wasn't even touching her anymore.

"Mia, take Mist back to her room and give her some water. When she gets better, tell her to come and meet with me. We are going to need to talk."

Mia, the only person in the group who kept her calm in the face of Mist's panic attack, simply nodded.

The feel of Mia's long, slim, feminine fingers, brought some semblance of ease to Mist's unconscious mind, and she slowed her convulsions slightly. Her breathing, however, remained erratic and uncontrollable, enough to the point where she actually couldn't breath properly. Still, Mia's close presence calmed Mist unconsciously, allowing her to cooperate smoothly as they returned to the Castle.

When Mist was finally brought to her bed, she regained alertness and had a little understanding of what just happened to her. She remembered suddenly freezing up and breathing uncontrollably, but she couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was that caused her attack to occur. She was so distraught with her own self-pity that she couldn't really factor much of anything that happened.

All she knew was that Mia was with her, sitting by her side as she found herself laying on her bed. Mia had said some words to her that she couldn't really understand before standing up and walking away.

A fear of being alone gripped Mist all at once, and she desperately reached out to grab Mia's retreating arm.

"Don't leave me Mia!" She screamed with all her heart. "Please…just for tonight…"

Mia stood there, her back facing the fragile girl, before answering her with a nod. Sitting back next to Mist, who rested in a fetal position, she gently stroked Mist's hair, an act that both surprised Mist, due to the gentle and caring nature of it, and composed her. Mia, despite her eccentricities, was more of a motherly figure to Mist, comforting her enough to allow the brunette to open up to her.

"I…I don't want to feel like this anymore…" She confessed. "I'm tired of feeling weak and useless. Mia…tell me…what should I do?"

Mia stood silent for a moment, gauging what it was that she should do in this moment. Mist took the moment to grab the hand that was stroking her hair and hold it softly.

That was the catalyst Mia needed to push forward. She felt like she was being a little selfish, given the situation, but it certainly was the only answer she could actually provide for Mist.

"If ya don't wanna be weak, Boss, then ya need to get stronger. It's as simple as that."

"Then…then how? How can I get stronger?"

"Ya don't need me to tell ya that, do ya?"

Mist looked down on her clothing. The sleeveless white blouse and skirt that Mia had dressed her in when she was unconscious. She knew what the color symbolized for Mia, and she knew now what meant for her. The answer was as simple as Mia said it.

To get stronger, she needed to learn how to fight. And what better way to learn than to be a rival to someone who walks the path of the sword?

With a small nod to herself, Mist became Mia's rival.

* * *

 **Well. I tried to cut the tension. It didn't work...**

 **Next chapter will be the first Gaiden Chapter. It will be in the perspective of Ike as he approaches his untimely demise.**

 **Gaidens will be written in First-Person, and will always feature a perspective that is not Mist's own. Gaidens will provide more insight on events that occur in the story that cannot reasonably be provided by Mist's PoV. Gaidens will also provide more detailed information on Tellian lore, as well as answer some plot holes left behind by the duology of games. What kind of plot holes, you may ask? Ha, like I'd give that information to you right now, you sneaky rascal!**

 **Finally, I have commissioned a Book Cover for this story! It's gonna be $60 USD, so this is now a story I've invested in. That means that I cannot drop this story at all, otherwise I would have wasted $60. Good news for everyone but me!**

 **So join me next time as we walk through Ike's deathly path against the insidious Black Knight.**

 **PS: YAY FOR 5 CHAPTERS! LET'S KEEP THIS GOOD THING GOING!**


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